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Neo‐liberalism, Social Exclusion and Welfare Clients in a Global Economy
Author(s) -
Dominelli L.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
international journal of social welfare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1468-2397
pISSN - 1369-6866
DOI - 10.1111/1468-2397.00058
Subject(s) - commodification , social work , globalization , welfare state , sociology , social welfare , welfare , public relations , political science , economic growth , economics , law , market economy , politics
Globalization has played a major role in redefining the nature of the welfare state and the ways in which social work practice is being undertaken in a number of different countries. Moreover, its impact has been to exacerbate gendered and racialized social relations. In this article, I explore the changes that globalization has wrought on the social work profession. These have resulted in neo‐liberialist policies that have contributed to the realization of a purchaser‐provider split in service delivery, the commodification of inter‐personal relationships embodied in caring work and the creation of a technicist cadre to deal with vulnerable people in need. I conclude by arguing that social workers need to engage in a public debate which challenges this state of affairs and form alliances with clients, professional associations, trade unions, politicians and other professional groupings in order to set a new welfare agenda which replaces profit‐making with social justice to ensure that needs‐led assessments and people are at the heart of their professional remit.