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CAPITALISM, CRISIS AND PARADIGMSChapter 1
The New Structural Social Work
Bob Mullaly / Third Edition
KEYNESIAN CAPITALISM
Welfare capitalism
A belief that a welfare state could exist within capitalism
Infinite economic growth manifest by the production and consumption of more and more products, which in turn would be followed by more and more jobs, increased profits, higher wages, and more government revenue for an ever expanding welfare-state
THE CRASH OF KEYNESIAN CAPITALISM
1973: worldwide recession, unstable economic growth, inflation
Raise taxes (as some European countries did) or reduce government spending
1984 Canadian Conservative government reduced expenditures
Global economy now takes precedence over meeting human and social needs
Most vulnerable were women, children, immigrants, visible minorities, and poor people
GLOBALIZATION THESIS
Defined as: an economic process involving cross-border transactions in goods and services, international capital flows, and the rapid spread of technology
Expresses, promotes and legitimates a neo-conservative ideology
Organizations set up to regulate international trade & other global forces: World Trade Organization
World Bank
International Monetary Fund
G-8 Leaders
Welfare state notions such as universality, full employment and equality are seen as a hindrance to survival
3 billionaires have assets greater tan the gross national product of the world’s least developed nation and their 600 million inhabitants
Sub-Saharan Africa currently pays $337 million per day in debt payments
Regan administration: budgetary cuts on social expenditures in USA. Unemployment, homelessness, infant mortality, hunger, etc increased
Neo-Conservative Result
PRESENT DAY WELFARE STATE - CATERS TO THE RICH
Fiscal welfare Serves the rich Operates through the income tax
system Exemptions, deductions, deferrals,
allowances, write-offs, reduced taxation
Occupational welfare Fringe benefits such as health
benefits, pensions, interest-free loans, expense accounts, company cars
Based on position at work and not on need
Social Welfare Mainly to low-income and other
vulnerable populations Orientated to meeting basic needs
SOCIAL WORK IN CRISIS
Cuts to social expenditures
Decreased funding of programs
Social service work is not highly valued
Provide “more with less”
Job dissatisfaction, stress, burnout, low morale, vicarious trauma
Difficulty maintaining work-life balance
Role conflict – use of measurement tools to deny access to services
Lack of opportunity to develop quality working relationships with service users
Competing time demands
Feelings of isolation, not being supported, vulnerability
Right-wing Capitalism Result
ANTI-GLOBALIZATION MOVEMENT Demonstrations
China and India – view economic development as the means to deal with social problems such as unemployment, poverty, homelessness
Latin America opts out – no longer believes in globalization
Canada has had 8 successive surplus budgets
Expected 11.3 billion surplus by 2010-11
PARADIGM
A cognitive framework from which a discipline or profession views the world and its place in it
Helps to organize: Social thought Social work analysis theory
IDEOLOGY Definition: a closely
organized system of beliefs, values, and ideas forming the basis of a social, economic, or political philosophy or program.
Conventional terms: Left, centre, right
Ideology influences : Behavior Social organization Social movements
LEFT-RIGHT CONTINUUM (IDEOLOGY)
Greens NDP Liberals Conservatives
Left Centre Right
Radical Liberal Conservative Reactionary
CONVENTIONAL PERSPECTIVES
Poor are makers of their own misfortune
All decisions regarding this system were made by the ‘right’ people in the community (i.e. mainly white, middle-class-businessmen)
Focus was to reform the person
Poor are victims of an unjust social order that discriminates against large numbers of people so that a few might benefit (capitalist society caused poverty)
Established houses in slum areas
Worked with people to do something about slum housing, crime, poverty, sweatshop work conditions, etc
Focus was to reform society
Charity Organization Society Movement
Settlement House Movement
MODERN SOCIAL WORK
Society is viewed as comprising social institutions that serve the individual as long as s/he makes full use of available opportunities for personal success
Focus on the individual/s as both source of and the solutions for problems
Do not believe that our present social institutions are capable of adequately meeting human need
Goal is the elimination of oppression and inequality
Focus on helping the individual cope with, fit into, and/or adjust to society
Conventional viewProgressive / Critical view
APPROACHES TO PRACTICE
Personal change Psychodynamic Behavioral Client-centred Psychosocial Clinical Family therapists Casework General systems theory Ecosystems Life model Problem-solving Strengths perspective
Feminist social work Marxist Radical Structural Anti-racist Anti-oppressive Critical postmodern Post-colonial Indigenous (decolonization) Narrative therapy Just therapy
Recognizes that fundamental social change cannot occur without fundamental personal change also occurring
Conventional view Progressive view
SOCIAL WORK BELIEF People have a right to
develop fully and freely their inherent human potential and to live productive and satisfying lives free from domination and exploitation by others
What type of society best promotes the values, ideals, principles, and beliefs espoused by the social work profession?
What is the vision that social work should pursue?
THE VISION
The vision of the profession of Social Work is to help create and contribute to a world where there are no great inequalities of wealth or income, where economic and political power is more evenly distributed, where human need is the central value of distribution of society’s resources, where diversity of culture is celebrated, where people have greater control over their own lives, and where all persons are afforded maximum opportunity to enrich their physical, spiritual, psychological, and intellectual well- being
The client is no longer the primary professional obligation Client as priority not primary
obligation
A limited view of social justice Compensate victims instead of
changing systems
The fallacy of equal opportunity or universal impartiality Assumes people start from the
same place
Acknowledgement of diversity Acknowledge diversity as opposed
to celebrate and promote
Limited self-determination Client records
We regard as our primary obligation to be the welfare of all humankind…
We understand the contradictions inherent in delivering social work services in a capitalist society. We know that the state can be both oppressive and supportive
We do not see financial profit as the primary motive in life. Thus, we do not uphold the tenets of global capitalism nor do we value paid work over that which is unpaid
We do not see ourselves as sitting outside of society, or as liberators of the ‘needy’ or the ‘downtrodden’. Rather, we try to use the benefits derived from our professional status to work against the exploitation of individuals and groups
Pg54, Box 2.3
2005 CASW code of ethics
Progressive Social Workers code of ethics