The welfare mobility dilemma : Transnational strategies and national structuring at crossroads

The dissertation considers welfare with regard to international mobility and immobility. It addresses a tension between two different conceptualisations of the organisation of everyday life with regard to nation-states: one that views everyday life as relatively mobile across nation-state borders and boundaries, and another that treats everyday life as relatively confined within such limits. The organisation of everyday life is related to welfare and the need to examine three aspects of welfare and im/mobility is identified: (i) welfare with regard to mobility, (ii) welfare with regard to immobility, and (iii) the tension between what are termed the ‘transnational frame’ and the ‘national frame’ of welfare. The transnational frame draws on the transnational turn within migration research, and the national frame on the territorial turn within social policy research. Two research questions are raised from the juxtaposition of these investigative directions: How do transnational and national welfare diverge? and How is social policy constituted by and constitutive of the nation-state? The inquiry has employed extensive reviews of the relevant scholarly literature. Through conceptual and methodological developments, the analyses shed empirical light on the research questions. Generally, the study adds to knowledge about the relation between transnational migration and national welfare states. More specifically, it contributes firstly to an understanding of how the tension between transnational welfare strategies and national structuring can be manifested in the everyday lives of individual and collective transnational actors, and secondly to an understanding of how (Swedish) social policy is constituted by and constitutive of the borders and boundaries of the nation-state. The findings stimulate further reflections on transnational welfare, and a formulation of the ‘transnational social question’ is attempted, as well as proposing two research frontiers to improve the understanding of transnational welfare

Trabajo Social en Suecia, tendencias generales y el caso particular de los niños migrantes

The restructuring of the Swedish welfare state and increasing inequalities are social transformations over the past three decades. Sweden has lost its leading position in the international rankings of social equality. New ways of understanding and addressing social problems allow privatization of social services, public before. In addition, demographic changes such as increased international mobility and complexity in the dynamics of social problems demand new responses from social services, which have clear implications for social work, which emerged as a territorially bounded activity by national borders. The case of migrant children is an example, as it clearly states these new problems and shows various and contradictory responses from the services of child protection. In this paper we discuss the responses by social workers in care cases and institutionalized responses from foster care. In those places is detected the failure of institutionalized forms of child protection. In the individual case-work we see an emergence of critical responses among social workers, who within the legal framework question the tradition of loyalty to Swedish state authority in social work. Replies apart, we see also arise organizations challenging repressive policies and try to work from a perspective that takes into account the issues affecting migrant children.La reestructuración del Estado de bienestar sueco y el aumento de las desigualdades son transformaciones sociales ocurridas durante los tres últimos decenios. Suecia ha perdido su posición de liderazgo en los rankings internacionales sobre igualdad social. Nuevas formas de entender y abordar los problemas sociales permiten la privatización de los servicios sociales, antes públicos. Además, cambios demográficos como el aumento de la movilidad internacional y la complejidad en la dinámica de los problemas sociales exigen nuevas respuestas de los servicios sociales, lo que tiene claras implicaciones para el Trabajo Social, que surgió como una actividad delimitada territorialmente por las fronteras nacionales. El caso de los niños migrantes es un ejemplo, ya que expresa claramente esas nuevas problemáticas y muestra diversas y contradictorias respuestas desde los servicios de protección de la infancia. En este artículo discutimos las respuestas que dan los trabajadores sociales en la atención de casos y las respuestas institucionalizadas desde los hogares de acogida. En esos lugares detectamos el fracaso de las formas institucionalizadas de protección de la infancia. En la atención de casos individuales vemos surgir respuestas que, dentro de los marcos de la legalidad, cuestionan una tradición de lealtad y subordinación a la autoridad en la historia del Trabajo Social en Suecia. Respuestas aparte, vemos también surgir organizaciones que cuestionan políticas represivas e intentan trabajar desde una perspectiva que toma en cuenta las problemáticas que afectan a los niños migrantes

Concepciones del conocimiento en la formación de trabajadores sociales en Suecia.

In this paper we discuss knowledge conceptions implicit in social workers’ academic education in Sweden, knowledge conceptions often introduced as incompatible. We sustain that behind this image of incompatibility there are differences but also common assumptions. This paper is based on the review of documents treating different aspects of the social workers’ education in Sweden. Analysis focuses on three different periods in the history of the Social Work Education: first period tackles the establishment of the first educational program; second period considers the establishment of the social work as an academic discipline; and the third period deals with the current situation. The different knowledge conceptions prevailing in each period respond as much to the society demands as to the internal exigencies of the academic world.En este artículo debatimos sobre las concepciones del conocimiento implícitas en la formación académica de trabajadores sociales en Suecia, concepciones que a menudo se presentan como incompatibles. Sostenemos que detrás de esa imagen de incompatibilidad existen diferencias, pero también presupuestos comunes. Este artículo se basa en la lectura de documentos que tratan de diferentes aspectos de la educación de trabajadores sociales en Suecia. El análisis se concentra en tres períodos de la historia de la educación en Trabajo Social: el primer período, aborda el establecimiento del primer programa de educación; el segundo período contempla el establecimiento de Trabajo Social como disciplina académica; y el tercer período trata de la situación actual. Las diferentes concepciones del conocimiento dominantes en cada uno de esos períodos responden tanto a las demandas de la sociedad como a las exigencias internas del mundo académico

Relaciones étnicas y currículos académicos en la formación de trabajadores sociales en Suecia: un proyecto de investigación

In recently initiated research project we analize the contents of educational programs for socialworkers in Sweden with regards to ethnical issues. This field of knowledge has varied over timeaccording to the dominant traditions in Social Work Education. The specific aim of our study is todescribe the different ways in which ethnic relations have been conceptualized in the contents of thedifferent parts of these Social Work curriculums. We argue that the issue of ethnic relations shouldplay a central role in the academic training of social workers in Sweden. We also want to participate inthe international dialogue initiated by this journal, a dialogue that have underlined to the need to adaptthe contents of Social Work to the demands of a global society.En una investigación iniciada recientemente estudiamos los contenidos que se dan al tema de las relaciones étnicas en los programas de educación para trabajadoras/es sociales en Suecia. Entendemos que en Trabajo Social ésta es un área de conocimiento cuyos contenidos varían de acuerdo a las prioridades y tradiciones dominantes en los diferentes períodos de la historia de la formación de profesionales del Trabajo Social. El objetivo específico de nuestro estudio es describir las diferentes formas de conceptualizar las relaciones étnicas en los programas de estudio, estudiar cómo esos conocimientos influyen en las formas y contenidos de los diferentes momentos que componen esos programas, y además analizar cómo esas formas y contenidos influyen en la comprensión sobre temas relacionados con la migración que hacen los estudiantes. En este artículo sostenemos que el tema de las relaciones étnicas debería ser un tema central en la formación académica de trabajadoras/es sociales en Suecia. El objetivo de nuestro artículo es participar en el diálogo internacional que se ha iniciado en esta revista, un diálogo que apunta a la necesidad de adecuar los contenidos de la carrera de Trabajo Social a las exigencias de una sociedad global

Ethnic relations and academic curriculum in the formation of social workers in Sweden

http://revistaseug.ugr.es/index.php/tsg/article/view/1524/1713En una investigación iniciada recientemente estudiamos los contenidos que se dan al tema de las relaciones étnicas en los programas de educación para trabajadoras/es sociales en Suecia. Entendemos que en Trabajo Social ésta es un área de conocimiento cuyos contenidos varían de acuerdo a las prioridades y tradiciones dominantes en diferentes períodos de la historia de la formación de profesionales del Trabajo Social. El objetivo específico de nuestro estudio es describir las diferentes formas de conceptualizar las relaciones étnicas en los programas de estudio, estudiar como esos conocimientos influyen en las formas y contenidos de los diferentes momentos que componen esos programas y además analizar cómo esas formas y contenidos influyen en la comprensión sobre temas relacionados con la migración que hacen los estudiantes. En este artículo sostenemos que el tema de las relaciones étnicas debería ser un tema central en la formación académica de trabajadoras/es en Suecia. El objetivo de nuestro artículo es participar en el diálogo internacional que se ha iniciado en esta revista, un diálogo que apunta a la necesidad de adecuar los contenidos de la carrera de Trabajo Social a las exigencias de una sociedad global.In recently initiated research project we analize the contents of educational programs for social workers in Sweden with regards to ethnical issues. This field of knowledge has varied over time according to the dominant traditions in Social Work Education. The specific aim of our study is to describe the different ways in which ethnic relations have been conceptualized in the contents of the different parts of these Social Work curriculums. We argue that the issue of ethnic relations should play a central role in the academic training of social workers in Sweden. We also want to participate in the international dialogue initiated by this journal, a dialogue that have underlined to the need to adapt the contents of Social Work to the demands of a global society

A place-based approach to migrant integration

This Science for Policy report focuses on urban and territorial strategies promoted by the EU Cohesion Policy during the 2014-2020 programming period, namely Sustainable Urban Development (SUD), Integrated Territorial Investment (ITI) and Community-led Local Development (CLLD), and explores whether and how they may contribute to the integration and inclusion of international migrants in the local context. The study illustrates the findings of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) Exploratory Research Activity (ERA) International migrants in Functional Urban Areas. How strategies of sustainable urban development can foster the integration of migrants?, which integrates two analytical approaches, with in-depth case studies based on local data and performed by local academics complementing the analysis carried out at EU-level

Firewalls: A necessary tool to enable social rights for undocumented migrants in social work

© 2020 The Authors. Published by SAGE. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872820924454Firewalls are clear divisions between border policing and the provision of basic social rights. They have a dual character: to ensure that no information collected with the purpose of safeguarding basic social rights should be shared for immigration control purposes; and that migrants should not be subject to immigration control when being present at, or in the vicinity, of religious, private and public institutions upholding and providing social rights. This article suggests a normative argument for ‘firewalls’ in the context of social work and develops the concept theoretically as a principle practised and negotiated at different scales.Published onlin

Internationellt socialt arbete : definitioner och perspektivval i historisk belysning

Internationellt socialt arbete röner idag allt mer uppmärksamhet. Det finns emellertid inte någon enhetlig syn på vad som utgör internationellt socialt arbete. Denna artikelbidrar med en historisk genomgång av vilka antaganden olika definitioner utgår från och vilka konsekvenserna av dessa perspektivval är.Social workers increasingly encounter individuals and groups who live their life orientedtowards and sometimes even anchored in places in two or more countries. Theyalso face situations and social problems that cannot be understood solely from alocal perspective. This development has nourished the interest in internationalsocial work, which is growing in importance today. In spite of this growing interest thereis a lack of a coherent definition of international social work. Due to this situationit is appropriate to review existing definitions of international social work and theirunderlying theoretical assumptions. The first definitions of international social work appeared in the 1940s in the shadow of the Second World War. These were based on a western understanding of social work and on modernization theory. A second wave of theory development came about from the late 1960s as societal power hierarchies and critical theory were brought to the fore in popular and academic debates. Globalization and the increased dependency between different parts of the world are of profound significance for ongoing theory development. This article shows that, while the first definitions of international social work were reduced to considering cross-border dimensions, over time inter-culturaldimensions have become an integral part of international social work. In what is todaysometimes called transnational social work, the cross-border and cross-cultural dimensions of international social work are conflated. The article also shows how earlierdiscussions and dilemmas are reproduced in ongoing discussions. The article orgaanizes different theoretical positions in a table and hopes to stimulate further discussion of international social work

Transformations of mobility and belonging in Swedish social policy

The establishment and development of social policy is generally described as a response to the modern project. Whereas the establishment and development of social policy has developed in divergent ways in different nation-states, overall it has developed within a national frame. In the literature the so called “golden age” of western welfare states is even described in terms of national closures. These closures have from the outset been challenged by mobile individuals. Immigration brings in outsiders – should they access national social security schemes? Emigration carries out insiders – should they access national social security schemes from abroad? These are classical who-questions in social policy research, here related to mobility. Ongoing globalization and increased international migration have nurtured this field of inquiry, sometimes named transnational social policy. This study takes a historical stance on the issue. Under analytical focus is how discourses of mobility and belonging in Swedish social policy have transformed over time. The overall question dealt with is how we can understand Swedish state social responsibility towards transnational populations. More specifically it asks how different understandings of mobility and belonging in Swedish social policy have shaped (i) the access to social security for foreigners in Sweden and (ii) the portability of social security to outside of Sweden for citizens and foreigners. The analysis relies on written documents (statutory investigations, state reports, etc.). The study contributes to connect social policy analysis with mobility studies and it brings new insights to our understanding of Swedish social policies