Public service providers and users in the information society: An explorative analysis

The issue to be discussed in this article is to what extent does ICT create new challenges for the relationship between public service providers and users? It is important to recognize the concept of social capital because the concept is vital to the understanding of access to the information society and efficient functioning of government in its service to citizens. In this way we see social capital as a mediating “institution” between public authorities and the citizens (users)

Social Work Theories in Context Creating frameworks for Practice

Book Review:Karen Healy: Social Work Theories in Context Creating frameworks for Practic

Challenges in Dealing with Different Interests between Organized and Unorganized Youth

In this paper I will describe the development of a program directed at youth problems in a mid- sized Norwegian town. The town is characterized by a rich variety of voluntary associations. Voluntary associations can be seen as a central part of Norwegian civil society. Along with describing the development of the program, I will describe the target groups of youngsters in the town center. Possessing little social capital in terms of organization, contact with and the ability to articulate their needs to the authorities in charge of the program, the target groups became losers in respect of the program. The program became dominated by organized groups and voluntary associations with more social capital as far as the program was concerned

Welcome to Journal of Comparative Social Work

Editoria

Exploring reality through new lenses: The informal essay as a an academic genre

Can the essay genre used in education and reserarch provide new options for describing reality? This genre has already obtained a strong position in philosophy, in which it has proven to be appraopriate when dealing with “the far too big and the far too small questions”. But what about the essay as a supplement to – or even a replacement for – traditonal descriptions within social science in higher education

How is Social Work Affected by Different Contexts?

Social Work is one of the oldest professions, dating back to pre-industrial societies - even though it may not then have been called social work. It is a profession that deals both with society and individuals. Social work has been changing as the society has evolved, which in turn entails changes in peoples behaviours. Society and the individual are caught in an intense and changing relationship whereby each one seeks to influence the other. Moreover social work seeks to influence society (and individuals within it) and society in turn seeks to set limit on what social workers should do and should not do. So, social work is situated in the middle pulled between the individual and society, the powerful and the excluded, negotiating, and at times in conflict with both