Balancing ideological commitment and political reality for local job creation- a Swedish dilemma

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 491-511
Author(s):  
Casten von Otter ◽  
Paula Blomqvist
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Job Creation ◽  
Equal Rights ◽  
Public Provision ◽  
Services Sector ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social

Public social services in Sweden are in a highly transitional phase, reflecting new economic constraints and a change of policy regime. Transformations of the public social services sector have included market-oriented methods of management such as separation of purchaser and provider functions, contracting and intra public sector competition. The objective of the reforms has been to enhance economic efficiency at the micro-level of production. In addition, substantial cutbacks have been made in the funding of social services. One of the results of these changes is a reduction of jobs in the social services sector, a development which runs contrary to stated government objectives with respect to employment. To maintain local employment levels, a number of programmes have been initiated, both at local and central level. The situation can thus be described as one where local governments are forced to lay off regular workers within the social services sector, only to rehire them later in conjuction with job creation programmes. The paper provides an overview of this slightly paradoxical process, brought about by the clash of political objectives in one policy area (public social services) with those of another (employment). In Sweden, moreover, welfare policy goals with respect to equity, manifested in a commitment to public provision of social goods, prevent this paradox (and resulting excess demand for social services) from being solved by the expansion of a private market for social services. The net result is a loss of regular jobs and a growing gap between demand for and supply of social services. In addition, job creation programmes have generally failed to meet the expectations of trade unions and workers for "real jobs" with fair and equal rights, a failure that may bring about the establishment of a dual labour market also within the public service sector.

scholarly journals Designing, Adapting and Selecting Tools for Creative Engagement: A Generative Framework

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 42-51
Author(s):  
Leon Cruickshank ◽  
Roger Whitham ◽  
Gayle Rice ◽  
Hayley Alter
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Everyday Practice ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Services Sector ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Novel Interactions ◽  
The Creation

Increasingly public sector practitioners are turning to design to help them do more with less. This often takes the form of designing tools or resources that are used by public sector workers in their everyday practice. This paper critically examines the practice of tool design with the aspiration to improve creative engagement (that is, novel interactions that result in the creation of new knowledge or understanding in the public sector). We assert that designers should not be attempting to define what is a 'right' or 'wrong' way to use an engagement tool, but instead seek to enable new interpretations and adaptations of tools so the creativity of practitioners is supported and amplified. We present a proposal for a framework that supports people in organising the multitude of creative engagement tools in a manner that is meaningful to them rather than imposing taxonomies form the outside, enabling them to fix their own meanings, significance and use of the tools they use. To explore this we present 2 use cases, one by IRISS (a leader in innovation in the social services in Scotland) and a second by Leapfrog (a research project led by Lancaster University looking to transform public sector engagement by design).We believe this change in the terms of reference when thinking about the creation and use of tools has profound implications for designers working in the social services and wider pubic services sector.

Standardization as a Tool of Achieving Sustainable Development of Organizations of Social Services

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-41
Author(s):  
N.L. Solovieva ◽  
◽  
I.V. Chudinovskikh ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Services Sector ◽  
The Social ◽  
Strategic Goals ◽  
Goals And Objectives ◽  
International Companies

The article discusses the management of sustainable development of organizations using standardization as one of the tools of the quality economy. Particular attention is paid to the existing practice of Russian and international companies building strategic goals and objectives in accordance with the UN SDGs. The connection between standardization and sustainable development of the organization, in particular organizations of the social services sector, is shown.

Interorganizational Measurement in the Social Services Sector: Differences by Hierarchical Level

1976 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald E. Klonglan ◽  
Richard D. Warren ◽  
Judy M. Winkelpleck ◽  
Steven K. Paulson
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Hierarchical Level ◽  
Services Sector ◽  
The Social

Social Work and Public Social Services Practice: A Status Report

1996 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Gibelman ◽  
Philip H. Schervish
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Labor Force ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Additional Data ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Status Report ◽  
The Public ◽  
Education Experience ◽  
The Social

The authors review the current status of the social work labor force within the public sector by means of an analysis of the National Association of Social Workers member data base for 1988 and 1991, with additional data drawn from a 1993 member survey. Changes in the proportion and composition of the public social services labor force are documented, including education, experience, gender, and ethnicity. The decreasing professional social work labor force within public social services is discussed within the context of the realities of public social services practice and social work's historic place within this sector. The authors encourage debate about the implications of these trends, focusing on whether social work should influence labor-force trends or be influenced by them.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and Changes in Social Habits. Restaurant Terraces, a Booming Space in Cities. The Case of Madrid

Mathematics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (17) ◽  
pp. 2133
Author(s):  
Virgilio Pérez ◽  
Cristina Aybar ◽  
Jose M. Pavía
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Positive Response ◽  
The Public ◽  
Outdoor Spaces ◽  
The Social ◽  
Hospitality Sector ◽  
Social Habits ◽  
The City

The COVID-19 pandemic and the fear experienced by some of the population, along with the lack of mobility due to the restrictions imposed, has modified the social behaviour of Spaniards. This has had a significant effect on the hospitality sector, viewed as being an economic and social driver in Spain. From the analysis of data collected in two of our own non-probabilistic surveys (N ~ 8400 and N ~ 2000), we show how, during the first six months of the pandemic, Spaniards notably reduced their consumption in bars and restaurants, also preferring outdoor spaces to spaces inside. The restaurant sector has needed to adapt to this situation and, with the support of the authorities (regional and local governments), new terraces have been allowed on pavements and public parking spaces, modifying the appearance of the streets of main towns and cities. This study, focused on the city of Madrid, analyses the singular causes that have prompted this significant impact on this particular city, albeit with an uneven spatial distribution. It seems likely that the new measures will leave their mark and some of the changes will remain. The positive response to these changes from the residents of Madrid has ensured the issue is being widely debated in the public arena.

THE COMPLEXITY OF SOCIAL ECONOMY AS A SOCIO-ECONOMIC PHENOMENON

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1 (ang)) ◽  
pp. 2-10
Author(s):  
Andrzej Zybała
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Social Economy ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Endogenous Factors ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Economy System

This paper presents the complexity of the contemporary social economy system – its definitions, points of reference, role played in socio-economic development. Furthermore the paper presents a review of selected approaches to social economy, including definitional approaches, e.g. those specific to Anglo-Saxon and continental traditions. It discusses the context in which it emerged and developed as a phenomenon in the public policy and economic areas. It analyses the dynamics of social economy development in Poland, including institutional environment and selected mechanisms of public management. It stresses that top-down initiatives – including those of the central government and the EU institutions – are a key element in making the social economy dynamic in developing the forms of activity (in view of the weakness of endogenous factors). The central and local governments place social economy at the heart of their strategies in many public policies.

Conditions and prospects for cooperation between Polish and Ukrainian local governments

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 221-241
Author(s):  
Mariusz W. Sienkiewicz
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Economic Life ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Political Transformations ◽  
The Social ◽  
Common Goals ◽  
The Eu

The fact that Poland and Ukraine share a border, the convergence of the political goals of the peoples of both countries, and the constant efforts towards the development of democracy and decentralisation of public life determine the need to intensify cooperation in various areas of the functioning of society and the economy. An important sphere of cooperation is the public sector, in particular at the level of local government. The local government cooperation of both countries was already visible at the beginning of the social and political transformations after 1990. The development of this cooperation, with varying results, took place in the 1990s and, to an even greater extent, after Poland’s accession to the European Union. In the last three decades, local and regional communities in Ukraine have become an important partner for Polish local governments, both at the local and regional levels. The local government cooperation that has been implemented is based on the diversification and multidimensionality of forms and models. Some result from legal regulations, while others are based on mutual experiences, previous contacts, and sympathies of public authorities. The aim of the study is to analyse and present the conditions and forms of Polish-Ukrainian local government cooperation. The aim is also to show the barriers to cooperation and to define proposed solutions to improve partner contacts of territorial units. The local government cooperation of the two countries is undoubtedly hindered by the fact that Ukraine is not a member of the EU, and often by mutual misunderstanding and non-acceptance of historical experiences. On the other hand, common goals at different levels of social, public, and economic life are a significant factor motivating parties to increase cooperation and achieve a synergistic effect thanks to it.

Relationship Between Mission Drift and Financial Strategies in Social Enterprises

2019 ◽  
pp. 151-167
Author(s):  
Ramon Bastida ◽  
Marta Mas-Machuca
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Board Members ◽  
Mission Drift ◽  
The Public ◽  
Care Services ◽  
The Social ◽  
Financial Strategies ◽  
Work Integration ◽  
Financial Dependency

Social enterprises (SEs) have an important role in the social services provision. Many of those enterprises provide services, such as care services to elderly people and young people at risk of exclusion, work integration services, mediation, etc. In European Union (EU) countries, public administrations are obliged to provide these services to the citizens, although they externalize the provision to SEs. In this chapter, the financial strategies of SEs are analyzed in order to assess if they have any impact on mission drift. The analysis is based on the experiences of three SEs that provide social services in Catalonia, Spain. Several interviews with managers and board members of SEs were done. The results indicate that there is an important financial dependency of these SEs on the public administration. Therefore, SEs have problems to remain mission-focused, and a mission drift into market positions has been observed.

scholarly journals Impact of inaccessible spaces on community participation of people with mobility limitations in Zambia

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Banda-Chalwe ◽  
Jennifer C. Nitz ◽  
Desleigh De Jonge
Keyword(s):  
Nominal Group Technique ◽  
Nominal Group ◽  
Mobility Limitations ◽  
Equal Rights ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Cultural Economic ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Context Shape ◽  
Relationship Of

Background: The study investigated the perspective of people with mobility limitations (PWML) in Zambia, firstly of their accessibility to public buildings and spaces, and secondly of how their capacity to participate in a preferred lifestyle has been affected.Objectives: Firstly to provide insight into the participation experiences of PWML in the social, cultural, economic, political and civic life areas and the relationship of these with disability in Zambia. Secondly to establish how the Zambian disability context shape the experiences of participation by PWML.Method: A qualitative design was used to gather data from 75 PWML in five of the nine provinces of Zambia. Focus group discussions and personal interviews were used to examine the accessibility of the built environment and how this impacted on the whole family’s participation experiences. The nominal group technique was utilised to rank inaccessible buildings and facilities which posed barriers to opportunities in life areas and how this interfered with the whole family’s lifestyle.Results: Inaccessibility of education institutions, workplaces and spaces have contributed to reduced participation with negative implications for personal, family, social and economic aspects of the lives of participants. Government buildings, service buildings, and transportation were universally identified as most important but least accessible.Conclusion: Zambians with mobility limitations have been disadvantaged in accessing services and facilities provided to the public, depriving them and their dependants of full and equitable life participation because of reduced economic capacity. This study will assist in informing government of the need to improve environmental access to enable equal rights for all citizens.

Legitimising the care market: the social recognition of migrant care workers in Italy

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARTA CORDINI ◽  
COSTANZO RANCI
Keyword(s):  
Care Quality ◽  
Social Recognition ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Public Provision ◽  
Private Care ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Regulation ◽  
Employment Conditions ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Social

AbstractThe sizeable presence of migrant care workers in the private care market in many European countries is confirmed by several studies that have explained the phenomenon through functional arguments, stressing the economic convenience of transnational markets and the crucial role played by public regulation. This paper focuses instead on the public and institutional discourses that have contributed to legitimising this private care market, characterised by the worsening of employment conditions and the decrease in care quality. The main argument of this paper is that the social recognition of these workers provides the public with the new concepts and rationales that determine the actual shape of the private care market.Migrant care workers are usually, compared to other migrant workers, more welcome in the host society and less targeted by xenophobic attitudes, especially where their labour helps to meet a lack of public provision as is happening in Southern European countries. Nevertheless, their rights are not fully granted either as citizens or as workers: basic requirements in this migrant care market include for instance reduced wages, great flexibility, and informal contracts.Our hypothesis is tested through the reconstruction of the public regulation and a content analysis of the public discourse that has accompanied this regulation for ten years (2002–2012) in Italy. The two main national newspapers have been taken into account. This analysis provides evidence on how market dynamics have been shaped by a deliberate political construction, which has relieved governments of the task of finding a public solution to care needs and has relegated migrant care workers to a subordinate social position, which is functional in making the care market work.

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