Dynamics of welfare – social work in the ascendant and under pressure

FRANZ HAMBURGER Dynamics o wel a e – social wo k in he ascendan and unde p essu e T ying o alk abou he dynamics o wel a e in 30 minu es is like he ligh o Ica us. I you go oo high, you wo ds combus on he abs ac ness o he heo ies.1 I you ly oo low, you sink in he wa e o he a ious o ms o wel a e. So I will y o s ay in he middle. Pe haps Ica us also managed i o a leas 30 minu es. “Wel a e” is no a ixed quan i y; i is he subjec o poli ical deba e, and decisions abou i a e made in a discu si e p ocess. The pa icipan s do no , o cou se, ha e equal chances o in luencing he decision. This p esen a ion o a discou se on wel a e goes beyond unc ionalis heo ies and looks o he no ma i e bases o wel a e. His o ical aspec s Func ionalism can explain he in e en ion o he wel a e s a e in socie y as a necessi y ha a ose om he indus ialisa ion and u banisa ion ha s a ed in he 19 h cen u y. Social policy deals wi h he isks h ea ening he li elihood o wage-ea ne s such as illness, old age, disabili y, amily ep oduc ion. The social insu ance sys ems in Eu opean s a es ha e expe ienced a ai ly s able de elopmen , and ha e been s epped up and ex ended o o he isks. Social policy in he a ea o p oduc ion ela ed o wo ke s’ igh s in he wo kplace and o labou ma ke policy has unde gone a di e en de elopmen in he di e en coun ies. Eu opean in eg a ion and he eedom o mo emen ha e pu his a ea unde p essu e. Finally, he e is a hi d ype o social policy which ela es o he a ea o ep oduc ion. This deals wi h educa ion and upb inging, ca e and medical ea men , social suppo in all eme gency si ua ions. Whils we can ind hese wel a e measu es in all he coun ies o Eu ope, he ex en o ealisa ion is a he di e en . These di e ences can be explained on a his o ical basis. He e, he impo an ques ion is how he social p oblem was de ined in he espec i e coun y a he s a o he de elopmen o he wel a e s a e (Kau mann 2003: 33). As a consequence, a he di e en o ms o wel a e plu alism de eloped in Eu ope. The same playe s a e in ol ed e e ywhe e – he s a e and he ma ke , social o ganisa ions and p i a e households. The espec i e p opo ions o hei ac i i ies a e e y di e en . Na ional discou se decides on he ela ionship o he playe s and he ex en o which wel a e is o be ealised – he ac ha his is no longe enable in he p ocess o Eu opean in eg a ion and globalisa ion will ha e o be discussed. One o he aspec is 1 The pape p esen ed a he Con e ence „Radicaliza ion and social con lic s in XXI. cen u y” o ganised by he Uni e si y o Deb ecen, Depa men o Sociology and Social Policy on. 8 Oc obe , 2014. F anz Hambu ge – Dynamics o wel a e – social wo k in he ascendan and unde p essu e 111 impo an o na owing he opic down u he , i.e. so ha I can hen concen a e on social wo k: “wel a e” is, o s a wi h, a “p oblem o mula o public communica ion … ha ela es o he media ion be ween he pa icula o ms o li es yle and he condi ion o de elopmen p ospec s o a communi y” (Kau mann 2003: 227). I makes discussion abou he co ec deg ee o wel a e di icul , he e o e, as a link is always es ablished be ween he collec i e ac i i ies and he indi iduals and hei beha iou . So who dese es o ecei e aid om he s a e? Wha condi ions mus he indi idual mee in o de o be gi en ins i u ional suppo ? We immedia ely ecall he mechanisms o disc edi ing o p i ileging g oups o people. The igh o aid is g an ed o he dese ing poo ; i is denied o he undese ing poo . Despised g oups such as o eigne s, Sin i and Roma o o he mino i ies a e supposed o ecei e no help a all o , a he e y leas , o be s ic ly moni o ed. The ques ions asked oday, howe e , also include: should old people eally ecei e all he medical bene i s? Shouldn’ in ingemen s o he equi emen s o he public employmen se ices en ail much oughe sanc ions? Fo which membe s o he amily should he social insu ance bene i s be a ailable? Do child en eally ha e o ha e heal h insu ance wi h hei wo king pa en s? No ma i e bases These ques ions no only ela e o he sys ema ic concep o wel a e p oduc ion. They a e also ypical o a ime in which he legi imacy o he wel a e s a e has long been ques ioned. In any e en , when wel a e and wel a e p oduc ion a e de e mined in such a way, he meaning o he wo d “social policy” becomes clea , as “social” add esses he ela ionship o people wi h hei socie y and wi h he s a e – and ice e sa. I is he same wi h he e m “social pedagogy”. Fo a long ime, he e was a con ic ion in Eu ope, sha ed by bo h he bou geoisie and he labou mo emen and o igina ing om he Enligh enmen and Ch is ian ideas. I was “ he belie in he inhe en alue o e e y pe son and he pe spec i e o a peace ul coexis ence in libe y and equali y”, as F anz Xa e Kau mann exp essed i (Kau mann 2003: 38). This “social” idea some imes kep capi alism somewha unde con ol; in pa icula , i was o bene i o he la e , p omo ed na ional loyal ies and ga e ise o social secu i y bene i s – on di e en le els, o cou se. Thomas Humph ey Ma shall summa ised his dynamic in his heo y o ci izenship. (Ma shall 1992). I is, he e o e, a ma e o decommodi ica ion in he sense ha man is no longe a commodi y on he labou ma ke and o he ma ke s and is able o de e mine his ela ionship wi h he en i onmen in his own way. To his end, he s a e, as he all- powe ul playe , mus p o ide him wi h igh s. I he s a e is no longe able o no longe wan s o do his because i is d i en in o a co ne by o he powe s o subsc ibes o na ionalis ideas, he e is a social c isis. 112 METSZETEK Vol.3 (2014) No.4 The wel a e s a e Fi s , howe e , we mus emembe ha a pe iod o economic g ow h, which was also os e ed by wel a e policy, i.e. by he imp o emen o incomes, pension and labou ma ke policy, co-de e mina ion and he expansion o he heal h sys em, was achie ed in Eu ope a e he Second Wo ld Wa . Bu ka Lu z (1989) has analysed his pe iod and shown ha he imp o emen o he income o he majo i y o he popula ion ha was possible on he basis o ull employmen was he decisi e d i ing o ce o de elopmen . A he same ime, howe e , in “De ku ze T aum imme wäh ende P ospe i ä ” (The Sho -li ed D eam o Pe pe ual P ospe i y), he shows ha his pe iod was associa ed wi h a unique se o ci cums ances. The Uni e sal Decla a ion o Human Righ s in 1948, he expe ience o na ional solida i y du ing he wa and in he pos -wa pe iod and he poli ical awa eness ha wa s a e always also made possible by capi al o inancing showed ha he no ma i e equi emen s o a wel a e s a e also inc eased in his pe iod. Globalisa ion The e a e doub less a a ie y o causes o he c isis o he wel a e s a e diagnosed om he middle o he 1970s. The mos impo an may be he all o he a e o p o i ha caused companies in Japan, Wes e n Eu ope and No h Ame ica o u he expand hei in e na ional ma ke s. The expansion o he ma ke s and p oduc ion loca ions c ea es an in e na ional alue c ea ion chain which pu s he domes ic loca ions unde p essu e. Thus, globalisa ion becomes a boome ang ha hi s he employees in he cen al loca ions. The educ ion o wages and social s anda ds is pushed o wa d wi h he a gumen ha cheape p oduc ion is possible elsewhe e. The ans o ma ion om he “Keynesian wel a e s a e” o he ma ke s a e is a - eaching. The middle classes, which pa icula ly bene i ed om he wel a e s a e, come unde p essu e. The hopes o an upswing el in he 1950s and 1960s ans o m in o ea s o decline. To sa egua d he loca ion, he s a e mobilises cheap labou h ough on-going discipline. The p ocess ha is o ging ahead h ough globalisa ion was in oduced h ough Eu opean in eg a ion. Wi hin a common ma ke , he s a es a e ying o b ing as much in es men as possible o hei coun y h ough he p omo ion o indus y. One means is making labou cheape . Ge many has al eady aken his pa h o a long ime and hus secu ed i s hegemonic posi ion in Eu ope. I is an i ony o his o y ha he Eu opean Cen al Bank is now asking he ade unions o demand he y wage inc eases. Making labou cheape leads o he g ow h in po e y, as well as weal h, in all he coun ies in Eu ope, wi h he esul ha he weal hy in Eu ope, along wi h he banks, o m a powe eli e ha has au oc a ic con ol o he s a e (“oliga chic ule”). Democ acy is educed o ag eemen o a policy ha is sold as he only al e na i e. F anz Hambu ge – Dynamics o wel a e – social wo k in he ascendan and unde p essu e 113 Ame icanisa ion? One ea u e o his policy is he Eu opean, especially he Ge man, social policy coming signi ican ly close o he Ame ican model (Seeleib-Kaise 2014). Belonging o a skilled wo k o ce becomes, mo e han e e , he key condi ion o a secu e li elihood. The social bene i s o he unemployed and pensione s a e educed and ge close o he Ame ican le el. Anyone who does no belong o he wo k o ce con inuously and anyone who is unemployed o a long ime is h ea ened by po e y and eally becomes poo in old age. The di e ence be ween he Eu opean social model and he Ame ican one is, howe e , e ained, as he e is a gua an eed minimum income in Eu ope a he le el o social wel a e. The ci izens a e no obbed o hei social igh s en i ely; decommodi ica ion su i es a a modes le el. I howe e , as is he case in Ge many, he sanc ions o he public employmen se ices also educe he bene i s o he minimum subsis ence le el, e en his baseline o membe ship o socie y is des oyed. In any case, he di ide be ween he popula ion li ing in po e y and hose in he wo k o ce has inc eased. This has a disciplining e ec , wi h esul ha e en undesi ed and poo ly paid wo k is accep ed, up o he p o essional classes. Fixed e ms in employmen con ac s a e now ound h oughou he a ea. When hinking abou he u u e he e a e also, a i s glance – con a y o he hi he o somewha pessimis ic assessmen – mo e a ou able models. Thus he ques ion a ises o which ci cums ances we e ele an o he pe iods o p ospe i y be o e he Fi s and a e he Second Wo ld Wa . Whils wel a e s a e policies we e decisi e o he p ospe i y a e he Second Wo ld Wa , Lu z makes he ollowing diagnosis o he pe iod be o e he Fi s Wo ld Wa : “Be o e he Fi s Wo ld Wa , he s ong na ional s a e, which p o ec ed o eign ade and, wi hin he coun y, ensu ed law and o de and secu ed low labou cos s, was an essen ial condi ion o impe ialis land acquisi ion h ough he conques o colonial empi es and he de elopmen o economic sphe es o in luence” (Lu z 1989: 261) Now he cons an expansion o he Eu opean Union since i s es ablishmen in 1957 can be ega ded as land acquisi ion o he mode n ma ke o cen es. Al hough he s ages o expansion a e now ques ionable om he pe spec i e o poli ics and human igh s, he expansion is o ging ahead and has aken up he s a es be ween he EU and Russia. The Koso o Wa in 1999 shows ha s a es do no e en shy away om a mili a y seizu e o land. I we now conside he in es men o Ame ican conce ns and he EU in he Uk aine, he c isis in he Uk aine no longe seems su p ising. The Wes has al eady won one cold wa and now ano he such wa seems imminen , his ime agains Russia alone. 114 METSZETEK Vol.3 (2014) No.4 The ac i a ing wel a e s a e The delibe a ions on he labou ma ke do no go a enough; hey a e con ined o economic aspec s. The con e sion o he p e en a i e wel a e s a e o an ac i a ing wel a e s a e is associa ed wi h a undamen al ein en ion o he social aspec (Lessenich 2008). The indi idual alue p e e ences a e now also he s a e’s con ol impe a i es. The indi iduals a e in e es ed in au onomy, lexibili y, mobili y and sel - de e mina ion. And ha is p ecisely wha he s a e and socie y equi e o hem. “Be subjec i e and ule you sel !”- ha is he slogan. “Bu you will no do jus ice o you esponsibili y o you sel and socie y in doing so!” The social aspec , i.e. he social cohesion in which he indi idual mus be in e es ed o easons o sel -p ese a ion, is ein en ed in he pa adoxical o m o he subjec i e will. Thus, he ea lie pedagogic o mula o “p omp ing sel -ac i i y”, which has ma u ed in o a wo king p inciple in social pedagogy, becomes a socio-poli ical p og amme. Also in his espec , we can speak o an upswing o social pedagogy. Howe e he o mula is no longe being es ed in an educa ional si ua ion, bu is being implemen ed in social eali y. He e, he e is no oom o he es ing ha cha ac e ised he educa ional domain. Mo al s anda ds a e piled o he go e nmen o socie y (“don’ ea oo much”, “don’ ge a ; s ay i ”, “don’ smoke; d ink in mode a ion”) and he media is aking on he implemen a ion o his p og amme. “In he new wel a e s a e, socie y is cons i u ed as a subjec ha is wo king owa ds socially compa ible ac ion by he subjec s. As a esul o he ini ia ion o socially esponsible independen ac i i y by he indi iduals, a new pa e n o wel a e s a e ela ions is es ablished ha ela es he subjec s, uno ac u so o speak, o hemsel es ( hei “sel -in e es ”) and o he social communi y ( he “common good”).” (Lessenich 2008: 85) The p og amme o “p omo ing and demanding” has also ans o med a o mula om wi hin social wo k in o policy. Ad ice and suppo a e me ged wi h pe manen con ol and h ea s o sanc ions in “case managemen ”. The ac i a ing wel a e s a e ha ook he place o he s a e o decommodi ica ion has a pleasan side. Those who a e o be encou aged o wo k need aining, childca e and ca e o old people, so ha he people o wo king age a e ac ually able o wo k. The mobilisa ion o a wo k o ce, especially women o mo he s, gi es a boos o social wo k and he educa ion sys em. The inancial allowances a e o be educed, whe eas social se ices a e o be ex ended, inso a as hey p omo e employabili y. Jus as s a es compe e o he bes loca ion, he ci izens a e o igh o secu e posi ions in he labou ma ke by a ailing hemsel es o p o essional de elopmen oppo uni ies and h ough sel -managemen . And hose who a e s ill in he wo k o ce mus discipline hemsel es and o e come hei weaknesses. This is why all he epo s om he wo ld o wo k poin o pe manen s ess, o o e axing, o inc easing speeds and in ensi ica ion, o bu ning ou and o exhaus ion. F anz Hambu ge – Dynamics o wel a e – social wo k in he ascendan and unde p essu e 115 Social wo k is in demand in his si ua ion oo, as i is o use i s suppo skills pu pose ully o he ehabili a ion o he exhaus ed membe s o he wo k o ce. In he ascendan and unde p essu e The wo aces o he pedagogisa ion o socie y come o ligh in many a eas o he p esen de elopmen . Thus, he a ea o you h wel a e has been g owing s eadily in Ge many o yea s. He e, we canno alk o he disman ling o he wel a e s a e. P e- school educa ion is expanding apidly; he cos s o you h wel a e a e inc easing e e y yea . The numbe o people wo king in you h wel a e ose om app ox. 510,000 in 2000 o app ox. 700,000 in 2013. Be ween 2006 and 2012, he expendi u e inc eased om 20.9 o 32.2 billion eu os. Be ween 1998 and 2012, he expendi u e almos doubled. (Komda 1&2/2014) I we conside he whole se o social wo k occupa ions, we can see he ollowing pic u e: he numbe o people wo king in his a ea in 2010 is es ima ed a 2.2 o 2.5 million; ha is 8% o all people liable o social insu ance. In 1980, ba ely 300,000 people we e engaged in “social” wo k; since hen, he annual a e o inc ease has been 5.6%. Howe e , i mus also be men ioned ha almos hal o hem only wo k hal days (Nodes/Wohl ah 2012). In Ge many, wo k in childca e cen es, in pa icula , has been pedagogised in ha a con inuous obse a ion o he child en is conduc ed and documen ed. Suppo , p e en ion and con ol go hand in hand. The con adic o y expansion o social pedagogy is also isible in he p og ammes o child p o ec ion and o dealing wi h ju enile delinquency. One o he s uc u al changes in he managemen o you h wel a e is he shi om “wel a e” o “secu i y” as he a ge o mula (c . Dollinge 2014). This change is undamen al and a ec s all a eas o policy. A he same ime, “secu i y” is b oade han he “social secu i y” ha was a he o e in he i s phase o mode nisa ion. A ha ime, “ he social aspec ” had o be ein en ed, a e de achmen om eudal s uc u es o secu i y and dependence, h ough employmen con ac secu i y in capi alism. In he Second Mode n Age, people a e ac i a ed and mobilised o ind employmen in any place in hei own coun y o he whole o Eu ope. Wi hin socie y, his mobilisa ion ela es, in pa icula , o women who, in he pas , we e esponsible o he amily, b inging up he child en and looking a e he old people –o en wo king pa ime a he same ime– and in many cases s ill a e oday. Social secu i y is now he secu i y and eedom o he indi idual who becomes mo e dependen on social insu ance, he mo e he/she has been mobilised. Fo mobilisa ion means de achmen om communi ies; hus, he a ious “social bols e s” be ween he indi idual and socie y ge hinne . Social con ol has always been he wo k o he communi ies. I has also p o ided o ien a ion and, wi hou i , unce ain y becomes he o e -a ching expe ience o e e yday li e. In his case, secu i y o o ien a ion is p ima ily es ablished by he media – om mass media o he “social ne wo ks”. The mass media, in pa icula , no only gene a e secu i y bu p oduce ea h ough hei ixa ion on c ime and he 116 METSZETEK Vol.3 (2014) No.4 d ama isa ion o he ex ao dina y. They a end o people’s deligh in sensa ions and inc ease his need in hei s uggle o ma ke sha es. Pa icula ly luc a i e in his espec a e epo s abou disas e s wi h innocen ic ims, ep ehensible pe pe a o s and se ious damage, ideally wi h a oci ies. Such epo s make he need o secu i y boundless and legi imise any o m o p e en a i e and p o ec i e secu i y policy. In he a ea o child p o ec ion and c iminali y, in pa icula , indi idual epo s in he media a e su icien o se ing he legisla i e machine y in mo ion and de eloping a policy o de en ion and inca ce a ion o pe pe a o s. Social p oblems a e ansla ed “in o ques ions o secu i y and he gua an ee o secu i y” (Dollinge 2014: 299). When hese a e deal wi h, he complexi y o he causes disappea s; he igidi y o he simple solu ion domina es. Howe e , such a spi al o s a e ep ession (and social con ol o he neighbou hood in he case o child p o ec ion) canno con inue inde ini ely. Fo he policy o secu i y p oduces u he needs o mo e secu i y. And punishmen ins ead o he apy gene a es ecidi ism. The e o e, he e is a ecu ing discussion abou sophis ica ed o ms o in e en ion ha a e managed p o essionally. As hese a e expensi e, hey a e a oided and socie y is supposed o p o ec i sel . Mili ancy e u ns o he sel -help o he “p e en a i e” o ganisa ions. Social policy is aking he o m o an in ensi e policy o isk a oidance. Comp ehensi e diagnoses and moni o ing p ocedu es aim o a oid disas e s – bu hey also always e eal p eca ious li e si ua ions and call o u he o ms o in e en ion. As hese a e no a o dable, he e is only one solu ion: he “guil y” a e no wo h he help and suppo . I social wo k deals wi h hem, i should do i wi h an i on is . Social wo k is also massi ely in ol ed in hese p ocesses. I s quan i a i e expansion is, howe e , connec ed o quali a i e o ma ion. I is no longe concep s ha media e be ween subjec i e claims and social equi emen s, bu p ocedu es ha implemen he social equi emen s unde he man le o indi idualisa ion ha a e social desi able. The iendly isi o wi h his pu i anical beha iou has e u ned. Re e ences Dollinge , B. (2014): Soziale A bei als Realisie ung p o ek i e Siche hei spoli iken. In: Zei sch i ü Sozialpädagogik 12, pp 296 – 314. Esse , J. (1999): De koope a i e Na ionals aa im Zei al e de „Globalisie ung“. In: Dö ing, D. (H sg.): Sozials aa in de Globalisie ung. F ank u am Mainz, Suh kamp pp 117 – 144. Kau mann, F. X. (2003): Va ian en des Wohl ah ss aa es. De deu sche Sozials aa im in e na ionalen Ve gleich. Suh kamp, F ank u am Main Komda (Kommen ie e Da en de Kinde - und Jugendhil e) (2014). 17 Book 1 and 2 h p://www. o schungs e bund. udo mund.de/ ileadmin/2014_He 1_KomDa .pd (10.06.2014) F anz Hambu ge – Dynamics o wel a e – social wo k in he ascendan and unde p essu e 117 Lessenich, S. (2008): Die Neue indung des Sozialen. De Sozials aa im lexiblen Kapi alismus. Biele eld, ansc ip Lu z, B. (1989): De ku ze T aum imme wäh ende P ospe i ä . Eine Neuin e p e a ion de indus iell-kapi alis ischen En wicklung im Eu opa des 20. Jah hunde s. Campus, F ank u am Main/New Yo k Ma shall, T. H. (1992): Bü ge ech e und soziale Klassen. Zu Soziologie des Wohl ah ss aa es. Campus, F ank u am Main. T ansla ed om: Ci izen and Social Class and O he Essays (1950). Camb idge Uni e si y P ess, Camb idge Nodes, W. - Wohl ah , N. (2012): Ak uelle En wicklungen de P oduk ion Soziale A bei in Deu schland. In: Dahme, H. - J. - Wohl ah , N. (ed.): P oduk ionsbedingungen Soziale A bei in Eu opa. Hohengeh en Ve lag, Bal mannsweile , p. 113 – 132. Seeleib-Kaise , M. (2014): Wohl ah ssys eme in Eu opa und den USA: Annähe ung des konse a i en deu schen Modells an das ame ikanische? In: WSI-Mi eilungen, 67, Book 4, p. 267 – 276.