This course will give an overview of the political economy of social protection policies. Students will be introduced to the role of different actors and institutions relevant to shaping social protection policies. It discusses the latest research and methodological advances in the field. The course will cover: Origins of social protection policies; concepts, actors, instruments; the role of institutions and bureaucracy; political accountability; financing and taxation; targeting and recent advances; gender and social networks. The tutorial will deepen and extend the knowledge and skills acquired during the lecture. A particular focus will be on hands-on exercises applying the latest methodological techniques (incl. machine learning) for targeting and data analysis.