Neoliberalisation, the social investment state and social work

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on the challenges to social work evolving from two major discourses contributing to the common sense contextualising social work within the new spirit of capitalism and the governing of the soul. Beside neo-liberal ideas and values challenging social work values and the welfare state, the question is also about managerialism. To what extent is the social worker able to contribute to liberating, reflexive critique, or exert pastoral power? I have chosen to see how the idea of the social investment state may be linked to Rose’s and Foucault’s ideas about expanding governmentality and end my discussion by relating to some of the early writing on social work’s challenges in confronting ideas and practices interpreted as neoliberalisation moves.

SAMMENDRAG

Denne artikkelen fokuserer på utviklingen av velferdsstaten og sosialt arbeids rolle. I diskusjonen om hvordan nyliberalismen utfordrer sosialt arbeid reises i tillegg spørsmål ved betydningen av ledelsestenkning og teknologi. I artikkelen utforskes det hvordan ideen om den sosiale investeringsstaten kan forstås i lys av Rose og Foucaults begrep om en ekspanderende styringsskikk. Videre ses det på hvordan en rekke nyere tekster har drøftet de utfordringer som sosialt arbeid møter i det vi forstår som nyliberale samfunnstrekk. Intensjonen er å vie oppmerksomheten til noen av de motsetninger som oppstår når sosialt arbeid møter en ekspanderende nyliberal tankegang der det skal utøves. Innledningsvis fokuseres det på hvordan vi kan forstå nyliberalisme og hvordan velferdsstaten synes å bevege seg mot en sosial investeringsstat. Videre synliggjøres det hvordan sosialt arbeid synes å ha tilpasset seg og endret seg som praksis i de siste tiårene.

KEYWORDS:

• Social work
• neoliberal discourse
• social investment state
• governmentality

NØKKELORD:

• Sosialpolitikk
• Sosialt arbeid
• Nyliberalisme

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the reviewers for their constructive comments and my fellow editors Paul, Anne and Nina for their cooperation and a special thanks to my colleague Professor Graham Clifford for his comments and support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Edgar Marthinsen is Professor of Social Work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. His research interests lie in the history of social work and its relation to the social sciences and politics. His applied research concerns development of research-supported knowledge strategies in practice. He has a long history of empirical research on social work practice in the field of child protection and workfare practices and has written extensively on practice research in Norway. He currently teaches at NTNU and is head of research at the Department of Social Work.

Notes

1. This concept is also discussed by Neil Gilbert (2002) in his book, Transformation of the welfare state, the silent surrender of public responsibility. Oxford University Press.