The Welfare State And Social Work

The aim of this book is to exemplify the ways in which social work and research develop in ‘advanced’ welfare states – countries where public spending is relatively high as a proportion of GNP. While such countries have traditionally been associated with Scandinavian countries in particular, and North-Western Europe more generally, there are other countries where the public spend on welfare is relatively high. The various contributors in this book explore and exemplify ways in which social work and research are distinctive for advanced welfare states. This involves exploring their connection to professional identities, histories and welfare systems; their associations with academic, theoretical and cultural traditions of collaboration between academic and social work practice, and the distinctive links with community, national policy, governmentality and agency, with respect to forms of knowledge, discourses and conception of social problems. Written by contributors who have experience of living and working in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Singapore and the UK, this book speaks throughout about problems, methods, systems and ideas in language that is readily transferable and transcends national boundaries of thought and social work practice. It will be read and understood by social work students across Europe.

How have three decades of neoliberalism affected the Nordic welfare states as well as the organisation, education and practices of social work in those countries? During recent decades the welfare states of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have gone through dramatic changes infl uenced by the political triumph of neoliberalism. This has led to both the electoral success of extreme right and mainstream neoliberal parties, and to the neoliberal ideological transformations of social democratic parties. The neoliberal doctrine of making governance cheaper has thus been made the focus of governance and has led to increased marginalisation and social problems. This is the first book to comparatively explore the role of neoliberal reforms on social work and social policy across the Nordic welfare states. The richly theoretical and empirical chapters explore and illustrate the consequences of the dominance of neoliberal policies and provide an analysis of the effects of globalisation, glocalisation, welfare nationalism, symbolic violence and forced migration. The book provides valuable insights into the shortcomings of retreating welfare states in a time of increasing glocal social problems. Neoliberalism, Nordic Welfare States and Social Work should be considered essential reading for critical social work education. Students, scholars, educators and researchers of Nordic countries and beyond have much to learn from this book.

Presents an assessment of the historical, sociopolitical, and economic factors that have influenced social work policy and practice in the United States.

This book is written by Southern African social welfare, social work, social development, social security and social policy academics, practitioners and advocates who have varying degrees of experience. The authors who contributed chapters to this book added their perspectives to ongoing debates about academic areas in the region. Thus, the book’s primary objective is to discuss the development of social welfare and social work in Southern Africa. In doing so, it endeavours to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on social welfare and social work in the region. The chapters are examined through different theoretical lenses and historical perspectives. In this book, African scholars, academics, and practitioners provide a deep and critical reflection of social welfare, social work, and related disciplines during the colonial and post-colonial era, a period characterised by a deliberate move by Africa’s political administrations to focus on nation-building and to attempt to make Africa a global player. Despite being endowed with rich natural resources like minerals; agriculture; and solid family and extended family life, the continent is weak globally. Furthermore, the book focuses on the pre-colonial period – a golden thread running through the chapters. The book discusses the colonial era when Western countries’ capture and oppression of Africa characterised the continent’s history. This book is an appropriate publication at this point in our history; a resource that can be used to generate appropriate narratives and questions within the social welfare and social development sector, particularly on delivery, education and training.

Examines the contradictions and conflicts that characterise the welfare state by exploring three distinct orientations to the study of social welfare policy: social welfare as a function of conflicting values and ideologies; social welfare as a camouflage for inherent class, gender, and inter-group conflicts; and social welfare as a function of the technological bases of society. The author discusses the assets and liabilities of the 'unlimited growth' and 'limited' welfare states and compares the viability of the traditional entitlement-oriented welfare state and the means-tested welfare state.

Furthering social justice and human rights is a fundamental principle underlying the social work profession. Engaging in social policy formulation processes is a major route through which social workers can realise this goal. This type of social work activity has been termed ‘policy practice’. The aim of this book is to shed light on policy practice in social work discourse, education and practice in eight liberal democracies. This is the first effort to undertake a cross-national study of social worker engagement in social policy formulation processes. The book offers insights into questions such as ‘what is the importance attributed to social worker involvement in policy change in the social work discourse and education in different countries?’ and ‘how do social workers influence social policy in various national settings?’ These issues are relevant to social worker practitioners, students, educators and researchers, as well as to social policy scholars, who are interested in the role of professionals in social policy formulation.

Introduction -- Social welfare in the new nation, 1776-1865 -- America confronts poverty, 1776-1860 -- Modern America, modern problems: 1860-1900 -- Scientific charity, 1850-1900 -- Progress in social welfare, 1895-1929 -- The birth of a profession: 1898-1930 -- Crises: the great depression and World War II -- The Depression: a crisis for the new profession, 1930-1945 -- America's welfare state experiment: 1945-1974 -- Social work practice, 1945-1974 -- Ending welfare as we know it -- Social work in the conservative 21st century welfare state

Global social work: crossing borders, blurring boundaries is a collection of ideas, debates and reflections on key issues concerning social work as a global profession, such as its theory, its curricula, its practice, its professional identity; its concern with human rights and social activism, and its future directions. Apart from emphasising the complexities of working and talking about social work across borders and cultures, the volume focuses on the curricula of social work programs from as many regions as possible to showcase what is being taught in various cultural, sociopolitical and regional contexts. Exploring the similarities and differences in social work education across many countries of the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Pacific, the book provides a reference point for moving the current social work discourse towards understanding the local and global context in its broader significance.