1st Edition

Participation, Marginalization and Welfare Services Concepts, Politics and Practices Across European Countries

By Aila-Leena Matthies, Lars Uggerhøj Copyright 2014
    318 Pages
    by Routledge

    318 Pages
    by Routledge

    Current debates around participation and marginalization dominate the agenda of many European political forums. There is an increasing concern about the stability of social cohesion and a growing number of particular groups of people who are regarded as being at risk of being socially excluded or marginalized. This volume goes beyond the surface of public discussions to look at the central role played by welfare services in European societies in either strengthening or hindering participatory citizenship and democracy. In current discussions welfare services - understood in a broad sense - are centrally positioned: there are high expectations that welfare services can hinder marginalization and enable participation. Yet marginalization is, in most cases, rooted in the deeper structures of society, with economy, participation and involvement dependent on political or highly personal factors, which are beyond the scope of welfare services. This groundbreaking volume posits that participation and marginalization are ’twin’ concepts, expressing opposing sides of one and the same processes faced by individuals and communities. It will be essential reading for social workers, sociologists and policy-makers throughout Europe.

    Part 1a Introduction; Chapter 1 How Part icipation, Marginalization and Welfare Services are Connected, Aila-Leena Matthies; Chapter 2 Cross-European Research on Various Aspects of Part icipation and Marginalization in the Field of Welfare Services, Aila-Leena Matthies; Part 1 Concepts; Chapter 3 Four Faces of Part icipation, Martti Siisiäinen; Chapter 4 Clients’ Part icipation and Social Work Practices, Silvia Fargion; Chapter 5 From Definition to Action, Petra Videmšek; Part 2 Policy Analysis; Chapter 6 The Age of Austerity in Welfare Services, Lena Dominelli; Chapter 7 Transformation of Part icipation Politics and Social Citizenship in Finnish Welfare Governance, Kati Närhi, Tuomo Kokkonen; Chapter 8 Service User Involvement in the Swedish Welfare Services, Sara Hultqvist, Tapio Salonen; Chapter 9 Multilevel Governance Mechanism to Promote the Part icipation of Marginalized Groups, Patricia Almaguer-Kalixto, Emma Juaneda, Carmen Marcuello; Chapter 10 Capacities of Part icipation and Local Inclusion, Mia Arp Fallov; Chapter 11 Collective Action and Social Movement of Poor People, Sissel Seim; Chapter 12 Part icipatory Alternatives for Charity Food Delivery?, Tiina Silvasti; Part 3 Practice Analysis; Chapter 13 The Powerful Meeting between Social Workers and Service Users, Lars Uggerhøj; Chapter 14 Coping Strategies among Marginalized Youth in Finland, Juha Mikkonen1; Chapter 15 Social Rights within the Frame of Personal Assistance in a Swedish Context, Monica Larsson; Chapter 16 Learning from a Cross-Country Evaluation of Service Users’ Involvement in Social Work Education and Research, Shula Ramon, Shira Hantman, Roxana Anghel, Carolyn Gutman, Wendy Criden, Miriam Ben-Oz; Part 102 Conclusion; Chapter 17 Part icipation or Marginalization, Lars Uggerhøj;

    Biography

    Aila-Leena Matthies, University of Jyväskylä, Finland and Lars Uggerhøj, Aalborg University, Denmark.

    ’Participation, a label once clearly connected with widening democracy, has many and quite different meanings these days. One of them is to be involved to some degree rather than being marginalized. Welfare services have a key role in this. The analytical contributions and case studies in this book give a rich portrait of the challenges that arise when strategies for involvement by service support and activation oscillate between building capacities and quests for conformity.’ Adalbert Evers, Justus-Liebig-University, Germany ’The contributors to this versatile volume explore inherent contradictions in the institutional arrangements, policies and discourses of contemporary Scandinavian and European social regimes. Based on a range of local studies, the authors problematize claims of social service involvement, and insightfully reformulate a handful of notions associated with citizen participation. This is a timely book for professionals, academics and students. It grapples with an urgent question, suggesting emergent forms of solidarity.’ Adrienne Chambon, University of Toronto, Canada