Post-Pandemic Welfare and Social Work: Re-imagining the New Normal

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of the welfare state for economic, health, and wellbeing, especially for vulnerable populations. Social workers must engage with the contradictions and tensions of underfunded welfare services and engage in the political struggle for a well-resourced welfare state. Contributors to this book explore new ways of thinking about welfare, highlight challenges for a social justice-focused response, and outline pathways for shaping a less cruel and more capable welfare state.

Format: Hardback
Length: 236 pages
Publication date: 04 August 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a pivotal moment in the evolution of the welfare state, underscoring its significance in ensuring the economic, health, and well-being of its citizens, particularly its most vulnerable populations. It has starkly demonstrated that the crisis preparedness essential for safeguarding the well-being of citizens far exceeds the narrow confines of a corporatized welfare industry, driven solely by the pursuit of profit for elites and cost containment for the government. As social workers, we must confront the inherent contradictions and tensions arising from underfunded welfare services and actively participate in the political battle for a well-resourced welfare state.

Contributors to this book take on this critical challenge by delving into the multifaceted contradictions of the pandemic. Through their reflections, they explore innovative approaches to thinking about welfare, considering what aspects should be retained, challenged, and transformed. By highlighting the significant challenges for a social justice-oriented response and examining the myriad challenges social work will face in the coming decades, the contributors provide a critical framework for shaping a less cruel and more capable welfare state.

The book features 19 chapters authored by renowned experts, drawing from diverse countries such as Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia, Italy, Slovenia, Estonia, Sweden, Spain, South Africa, Canada, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, China, and the United States. This comprehensive volume will appeal to social work scholars, students, practitioners, as well as those engaged in social policy and health fields.

By examining the complexities of the pandemic and advocating for a more compassionate and effective welfare state, this book contributes to our understanding of the role of social work in addressing societal needs and promoting social justice.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032223445