12 Layering, social risks and manufactured uncertainties in social work in Poland
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Paweł Poławski
Abstract
This chapter shows the latent functions and perverse effects of activation policy, conditionality, and related governance reforms implemented on a local level in Poland from the perspective of social workers. The chapter focuses on the consequences of layering processes within welfare state institutions, and how these processes shape the structure of social assistance and affect social work. The analysis is based on qualitative data collected from in-depth interviews with social workers that cover their experiences with the implementation of activation measures that have been modified and adjusted to local realities. The research confirms that orientation toward poverty management is strengthened by the pillarization of organizational structures and financial mechanisms, and that the reforms generate dysfunctions and strengthens uncertainties for both beneficiaries and social workers.
Abstract
This chapter shows the latent functions and perverse effects of activation policy, conditionality, and related governance reforms implemented on a local level in Poland from the perspective of social workers. The chapter focuses on the consequences of layering processes within welfare state institutions, and how these processes shape the structure of social assistance and affect social work. The analysis is based on qualitative data collected from in-depth interviews with social workers that cover their experiences with the implementation of activation measures that have been modified and adjusted to local realities. The research confirms that orientation toward poverty management is strengthened by the pillarization of organizational structures and financial mechanisms, and that the reforms generate dysfunctions and strengthens uncertainties for both beneficiaries and social workers.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures and tables vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Acknowledgements xvii
- Introduction: social work and the making of social policy 1
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Social work, problem definition and agenda setting
- Social work as policy innovator: challenges and possibilities in the UK 21
- Social work, problem definition and policy change in the US: the case of sex-trafficked youth 37
- The voices of Italian social workers: from a pilot anti-poverty intervention to a national policy 53
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Social work interests in policy formulation and decision making
- Social reform in the US: lessons from the Progressive Era 71
- Social work academia and social policy in Israel: on the role of social work academics in the policy process 89
- Social workers’ collective policy practice in times of austerity: Italy and Spain compared 105
- Social policy and welfare movements ‘from below’: the Social Work Action Network (SWAN) in the UK 121
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Social work and implementation
- Policy work and the ethics of obedience and resistance: perspectives from Britain and beyond 139
- Systemic barriers to effective implementation of child protection reform in Israel 155
- Social workers implementing social assistance in Spain: reshaping poverty in a familialistic welfare state 169
- Layering, social risks and manufactured uncertainties in social work in Poland 185
- ‘A little more humanity’: placement officers in Germany between social work and social policy 201
- Conclusion: social work and the making of social policy – lessons learned 217
- Index 229
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures and tables vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Acknowledgements xvii
- Introduction: social work and the making of social policy 1
-
Social work, problem definition and agenda setting
- Social work as policy innovator: challenges and possibilities in the UK 21
- Social work, problem definition and policy change in the US: the case of sex-trafficked youth 37
- The voices of Italian social workers: from a pilot anti-poverty intervention to a national policy 53
-
Social work interests in policy formulation and decision making
- Social reform in the US: lessons from the Progressive Era 71
- Social work academia and social policy in Israel: on the role of social work academics in the policy process 89
- Social workers’ collective policy practice in times of austerity: Italy and Spain compared 105
- Social policy and welfare movements ‘from below’: the Social Work Action Network (SWAN) in the UK 121
-
Social work and implementation
- Policy work and the ethics of obedience and resistance: perspectives from Britain and beyond 139
- Systemic barriers to effective implementation of child protection reform in Israel 155
- Social workers implementing social assistance in Spain: reshaping poverty in a familialistic welfare state 169
- Layering, social risks and manufactured uncertainties in social work in Poland 185
- ‘A little more humanity’: placement officers in Germany between social work and social policy 201
- Conclusion: social work and the making of social policy – lessons learned 217
- Index 229
