Participatory Governance, Social Work and Social Policy in Times of AI Voices That Matter

Introduction

Sergei Zelenev and Antonio López Peláez

Part I. Participation, Digital Innovation, and Social Services: Global Dynamics and Future Challenges

1. The Fundamentals of Participation in the Context of New Developments 

Sergei Zelenev and Antonio López Peláez

2. ProSocial AI as a Catalyst for Social Welfare and Participation: A Multidimensional Perspective

Cornelia C. Walther

3. Children, Social Protection, and AI Bias: An Empirical Study of Intra-Country Disparities through a Citizen Participation Lens

Enrique Delamónica

4. Participatory Green Social Work and Living Knowledge Labs: Inclusive Nature-Based Solutions and Ethical AI in Socio-Ecological Transitions

Jose Luis Fernández-Pacheco Sáez and Antonio López-Peláez

5. Shaping Territorial Priorities through Citizen Participation 

Marta Lora-Tamayo Vallvé

6. AI Public Governance and Data Capitalism: New Challenges and Old Victims 

Chaime Marcuello Servós

7. Co-design, Participation and Social Welfare: Redefining Social Services in AI Societies

Raquel Pelta Resano

8. From Welfare State to Welfare Society: New Roles for Citizen Participation and Digital Technologies 

Sang-Mok Suh

9. Using AI for Social Good: How AI Can Support Social Protection Systems

Gloria Kirwan

Part II. Participatory Governance, AI, and Social Services: Country Cases

10. Pathways to Full and Equal Participation in Social Welfare in Finland

Ronald Wiman

11. The Social and Solidarity Economy in Morocco: A Lever for Promoting Social Justice 

Driss Guerraoui

12. Embedding Participation in Mental Health Policy and Practice: A Case Study from Ireland

Nicola Byrne

13. Participation, Social Work, and Service Delivery in Thailand’s Social Policy Landscape 

Mahesh Chougule, Kritsada Theerakosonphong and Auchala Chalayonnavin

14. AI, Participation and Social Welfare in Northeast Asia: A Political Economy Analysis 

Fen-ling Chen

15. Local Engagement and Social Welfare in Indonesia: Participatory Governance and Institutional Practice in the Age of AI 

Laila Refiana Said

16. Participation and Social Welfare in Spain: How to Achieve Social Innovation through Participation

Joaquín Castillo de Mesa and Gonzalo Cavero Cano

17. Reimagining Community Engagement and Participatory Governance in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Reflections from the Global South 

P.K. Shajahan and Nidhin K.P.

18. Community Organising in Sweden: A Local Initiative in Times of Transformation 

Larisa Lacatus

Part III. Global Organizations, AI, and Social Participation

19. Participation and Well-being: Perspectives from the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW)

Joachim Cuthbert Mumba

20. AI, Participation, and Social Work Education: The IASSW Viewpoint

Antoinette Lombard

21. Participation at the Crossroads of Social Welfare: The ICSW Perspective

Sergei Zelenev

22. Summing Up

Sergei Zelenev and Antonio López Peláez

Annex I. Ronda Declaration 2025 On Meaningful Participation, Inclusive Social Welfare, and Democratic Local Governance

Biography

Sergei Zelenev is President of the International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW). A social scientist, his work focuses on intergenerational relations, digital transformation, integrated social policy, and social welfare. He served as Executive Director of ICSW from 2012 to 2019. Prior to this, he spent nearly three decades with the United Nations, working at United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in New York and in field missions in Africa and the Caribbean. He has also served as a visiting professor in several countries, teaching socio-economic development and policy.

Antonio López Peláez is Professor of Social Work and Social Services at the National University of Distance Education (UNED), Spain. Since 2020, he has served as Executive Director of ICSW. He is Director of the Chair in Innovation in Social Services and Dependency (UNED/City Council of Fuenlabrada) and co-director of The Participatory Group.