Social Practice Research Articles

Factors associated with self-initiated moves during the formal eviction process

Abstract Housing eviction is a common occurrence, affecting hundreds of thousands of Europeans annually. It is well known that it primarily impacts the most vulnerable groups in society and is associated with adverse outcomes. However, previous research heavily relies on enforced removals registered in official statistics, thus missing eviction outcomes that do not undergo or disrupt the formal eviction process. This exploratory study, based on unique national Swedish register data on evictions with a sample of over 60,000 individuals, examines self-initiated moves and contrasts them with enforced removals and lease regain. Results from univariable and multivariable multinomial logistic regression analyses indicate that economic hardship and living in a single household are associated with both self-initiated moves and enforced removals. However, distinct factors associated with self-initiated moves are aged under twenty-five, living as a couple with children, residing in a non-metropolitan municipality, and having a native background. Gender-stratified analysis highlights strong associations for young women and native-background women with self-initiated moves. The results underscore the significance of implementing preventive social services interventions that address the specific needs of this larger group of individuals who face evictions under a broader definition. Further implications for research, policy, and social work practice are discussed.

Outputs from a model of co-research with older care-experienced people in Sweden to advance eldercare services.

Within the contemporary policy turn towards co-production and co-research in Sweden, older people, practitioners and researchers alike have expressed uncertainty about how to undertake co-research. Moreover, scepticism persists about the merits and contributions of co-research and co-production to research and service development. In this paper, we aim to describe a co-research model developed with older care-experienced lay co-researchers and explore the utility of our model's outcomes to social care research and practice. In a Participatory Action Research project, we established a team of three co-researchers by professional experience and eight lay co-researchers by lived experience who were over age 75. Our team undertook a complete study cycle from inception and funding through to knowledge exchange and dissemination. Our process lasted one year and comprised three phases: the group alone establishing collective knowledge, testing knowledge in peer interviews with acquaintances, exchanging knowledge in events with multi-sector actors. We generated and analysed data concurrently in fortnightly workshops and round-table meetings using procedures inspired by framework analysis to produce themes illustrated by vignettes. We highlight our co-research model's utility to social research, policy and practice under three themes. Expressly, how our approach (1) reaches and engages older people who are isolated at home, (2) generates out-of-the box thinking and innovative solutions for service development and research, (3) recognizes and benefits from older people's authentic experience and knowledge. We critically reflect upon these three themes and the conditions that lead towards or away from the adoption of key co-research principles. Public services and research and development units working in the interests of older people can take inspiration from our co-research model when seeking to meet the challenges brought by new reforms towards closer community involvement. Despite messiness in the process, integrating and embedding principled co-research and co-production can bring clarity and structure to the issues that matter most to older people, and draw organisations closer to the communities they serve.

Radicalising hope to resist the neoliberalisation of social work

The influence of neoliberalism is taken for granted in social work and has increasingly shaped social work practice, research and education. This article examines hope in social work and the importance of radically theorising hope to challenge the neoliberalisation of social work. Social work has a dual function that both resists and accommodates neoliberal agendas. Hope is a multidimensional concept. Hope is predominantly individualised in social work, but there are also radical and critical notions of hope that align with the broader political struggles of social work. Consistent with ethics of social justice, this article advocates for broadening the use of hope in social work to incorporate radical and critical hope in social work practice, research and education.

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT AS A CATALYST FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Objective and relevance. The purpose of this article is to study the role of local self-government in the development of social entrepreneurship in Ukraine, in particular in the context of decentralisation. In many countries, including Ukraine, local governments play an important role in stimulating the development of social entrepreneurship. In the context of decentralisation in Ukraine, local communities have been empowered to manage their resources, which opens up new opportunities to support businesses focused on the public good. This article explores how local self-government can become a catalyst for the development of social entrepreneurship, looking at both the opportunities and challenges of this process. As local communities gain more autonomy in managing their resources and addressing local issues, social entrepreneurship becomes a key tool for addressing social, economic and environmental challenges. This topic is highly relevant given the ongoing decentralisation reforms in Ukraine, the social and economic impact of the war, and the potential of social enterprises to contribute to sustainable community development. This study uses a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The authors reviewed the literature on social entrepreneurship theory and practice, as well as examples of successful social enterprises in Ukraine and abroad. Interviews with local authorities and social entrepreneurs were used to collect primary data. In addition, a comparative analysis of the legal and regulatory framework for social enterprises at the local level was conducted. This study shows that local governments can play a significant role in promoting social entrepreneurship through financial support, simplifying administrative procedures, and facilitating partnerships between the private sector and civil society organizations. However, challenges remain, including limited financial resources, bureaucratic barriers, and a lack of awareness of the potential of social entrepreneurship among both local officials and the public. This article provides practical recommendations for local authorities to strengthen their support for social entrepreneurship, including the development of targeted grant programs, educational initiatives and cooperation projects with the private sector. By implementing these measures, local authorities can contribute to solving pressing social problems while stimulating economic growth and innovation at the community level.

Secularity, Sociology, and the Contemporary History of Islam

This essay proposes to reframe the twentieth-century history of Islam by rethinking the relationship of that history to some dominant categories of twentieth-century sociology, especially the secularization thesis. The global history of Islam since the late nineteenth century has been shaped by an apparent paradox between its two most significant features. The first of these has consisted of persistent calls for Muslim revival, reform, and unity across the world, tending toward a unification or transcendence of the older forms of variation within the tradition. The second, countervailing tendency has been an increasing fragmentation of structures of authority within the tradition, a proliferation of the meanings attributed to it and of the forms of practice taken to embody it, and a renewed acuity of internal sectarian conflict. This is a paradox that only an understanding of Islam as social practice embedded in the forms of secularity characteristic of modern societies—and emphatically not one of Islam as “medievally” religious and uniquely “secularization-resistant”—can apprehend.

Post construction infrastructural adaptation of social practices in Dhaka’s under flyover spaces

Post construction infrastructural adaptation of social practices in Dhaka’s under flyover spaces

“Jia you (Add oil, let’s go!)”: A Speech’s Critical Discourse Analysis on the Use of Metaphors to Empower the Asian Community Against Hate Amid Covid-19

Following Fairclough’s three-dimensional model, this paper presents a critical discourse analysis of the speech “We are GOLDEN” delivered at a Stop Asian Hate rally held in the U.S. in 2021.The analysis focuses on the use of adjectives and metaphors at the text, discursive practice and social practice levels, which demonstrate the speaker’s strong criticism and opposition to violence, systemic racism, hegemony, and the power of white supremacy that became evermore present amid COVID-19. The results unveil the use of cultural and historical intertextuality from a resilient perspective to empower the Asian American and Pacific Islander community to promote social change and stand against hate.

Gender disparities and mental health manifestations in Twitter discourse on student loan debts

ABSTRACT We sought to demonstrate social media’s efficacy as a unique data source to gain insights into people’s perceptions and beliefs. Leveraging Twitter data, we built a model for identifying language markers of mental illness, including depression, anxiety and stress. We explored associations between student loans, gender, and mental health, and investigated gender-specific differences in emotions and sentiments to understand the emotional toll of these disparities. Findings suggest the need for targeted interventions for those experiencing the coexisting burden of student loan and mental illness. This study highlights social media’s potential for studying human emotions and informing social work practices.

Acquiring intuitive knowledge: A response to Nadler

In this response to Steven Nadler’s paper, I ask whether Spinoza views the transition from rational to intuitive knowledge as an individual or a collective project and conclude that it is largely a collective one. For Spinoza, our individual capacity to reason is underwritten by a social practice, an art of reasoning, which licences the rational conclusions on which intuitive knowledge rests. Equally, the pursuit of intuitive knowledge rests on a shared art of intuiting. Both kinds of knowledge are therefore collective achievements. If this is right, acquiring intuitive knowledge presupposes a certain kind of education. While it may be in principle available to everyone, as Nadler claims, it depends in practice on educational luck.

Examining traditional methods of handling domestic violence in a Southeastern Nigerian state: the imperative for social workers’ involvement

ABSTRACT This study investigates the conventional methods used to combat domestic violence within cultural contexts in a local council in Nigeria’s Southeastern state. The study aims first to promote the use of traditional methods of resolving domestic violence that aim at ensuring family unity and second, the need for social workers’ engagement in conventional means of resolving domestic violence. A qualitative study methodology was employed, using in-depth interviews to elicit data from twelve adult Nigerians residing in a local council of a southeastern state. Thematic analysis was adopted to analyze the data. The study discovered significant factors, including poverty, anger, and patriarchal structures, as predictors of domestic violence with substantial repercussions on family cohesion and the mental health of those affected. The findings revealed that people in the study area are well-versed in traditional methods for handling domestic violence, with family elders and traditional and religious leaders playing a crucial role. The study reveals that people are unaware of social work professionals’ involvement in domestic violence management, mainly due to the relatively new and emerging nature of formal social work practice. We suggest the inclusion of social workers for effective and efficient use of traditional approaches in handling domestic violence. Their engagement becomes essential in propagating awareness about better system trust to encourage the use of conventional methods to ensure family protection, preservation, and reunification, unlike the formal legal system. The study, however, indicated that effective collaboration among social workers, policymakers, and community stakeholders is essential to develop comprehensive policies that effectively tackle the issue of domestic violence. Overall, the study recommends a collaborative effort by social workers and community stakeholders to develop strategies and identify adequate linkages to prevent possible social injustice resulting from patriarchal norms within the cultural context that may affect their intervention.

Military and Ethnic Identity Through Pottery: A Study of Batavian Units in Dacia and Pannonia

Abstract Natives of the Low Rhine region, the Batavi were a community of ethnic soldiers engaged in a treaty with Rome, overseeing a heavy supply of men to the Roman auxiliary units. The present article examines the pottery discovered at and retrieved from three sites associated with Batavian auxilia: Războieni, Adony, and Romita. Their status as military sites shaped around the consumption habits of Batavian auxiliary troops makes them comparable. The comprehensive examination of pottery consumption patterns provides valuable insights into the dynamics of material culture in Dacia and Pannonia, facilitating our understanding of supply networks, consumption preferences, and cultural interactions within these frontier regions. The quantitative analyses of fabric and form distributions reveal distinctive trends at each site, reflecting variations in local production, regional trade networks, and social practices. The qualitative interpretations highlight the significance of certain vessel types and their cultural associations. While in the overall perspective, they emphasise the similarity between pottery consumption at the three forts shaped by military presence and regional trade networks, they also highlight potential markers of Batavian identity within the auxiliary units stationed there. By contextualising pottery within broader historical and archaeological frameworks, this research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the cultural aspects of auxilia.

The Socialization of Children from Vietnamese - Korean Multicultural Families: A Case Study of Korean International Schools in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

From the moment of birth, an individual exists as a biological entity. However, true integration into human society necessitates the acquisition of cultural norms, values, knowledge, and beliefs specific to their given community. This process involves adapting to social roles and cultural practices, ultimately enabling effective communication and fulfillment of societal responsibilities. Notably, language assumes a pivotal role in this intricate web of socialization and stands as arguably the most influential factor in the overall process. To delve into the current state of socialization among children from Vietnamese-Korean multicultural families residing in Vietnam and attending a Korean International School, this research employs socialization theory, descriptive statistical methods via questionnaires, and interdisciplinary research techniques.

Locating the evidence for children and young people social prescribing: Where to start? A scoping review protocol.

It is estimated that disruptions to life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have led to an increase in the number of children and young people suffering from mental health issues globally. In England one in four children experienced poor mental health in 2022. Social prescribing is gaining traction as a systems-based approach, which builds upon person-centered methods, to refer children and young people with non-clinical mental health issues to appropriate community assets. Recognition of social prescribing benefits for children's mental health is increasing, yet evidence is limited. Inconsistent terminology and variation of terms used to describe social prescribing practices across the literature hinders understanding and assessment of social prescribing's impact on children's mental health. This scoping review thus aims to systematically identify and analyse the various terms, concepts and language used to describe social prescribing with children and young people across the wider health and social care literature base. The scoping review will be undertaken using a six-stage framework which includes: identifying the research question, identifying relevant studies, study selection, charting the data, collating, summarising and reporting the results, and consultation. Electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, PsychInfo, Social Policy Practice, Scopus, Science Direct, Cochrane library and Joanna Briggs), alongside evidence from grey literature, hand search, citation tracking, and use of expert correspondence will be included in the review to ensure published and unpublished literature is captured. Data extraction will be carried out by two reviewers using a predefined form to capture study characteristics, intervention descriptions, outcomes, and key terms used to report social prescribing for children and young people. No formal quality appraisal or risk of bias evaluation will be performed, as this scoping review aims to map and describe the literature. Data will be stored and managed using the Rayaan.ai platform and a critical narrative of the common themes found will be included.

Is blanqueamiento (whitening) an emerging concept in urban transformation?

The concept of “whitening” has emerged as a tool to describe processes of invisibilizing local social practices in favor of affluent, often white, foreign populations within Mexico City's central urban transformation. This article critically examines the relevance of whitening as an analytical framework compared to more established, albeit sometimes ambiguous, terms such as “gentrification”. The discussion focuses on three key areas: the impoverishment of urban vocabulary; the adaptation of foreign concepts in Latin America; and the limits of whitening as a concept. This comment argues that while whitening captures significant racial dynamics in urban transformations, its conceptual development is still nascent, making it insufficient to encompass the broader socioeconomic dimensions covered by gentrification. Unlike gentrification, which has been adapted to Latin American contexts to capture diverse forms of displacement and exclusion, whitening has yet to undergo such adaptation and remains limited in its geographic and temporal application. Additionally, the article discusses the risk of fragmenting urban discourse through the creation of neologisms that overlap with more established concepts. Whitening may offer valuable insights into racial aspects of urban change, but its application remains restricted compared to the more encompassing and versatile framework of gentrification, which addresses economic, demographic, and cultural changes in a comprehensive manner.

Education as initiation into social practices – the case of democracy

ABSTRACT In this essay I scrutinize the challenge Paul Hirst set to educational philosophers in rejecting rational autonomy as the central aim of education and proposing initiation into social practices instead. Although I disagree with some dimensions of Hirst’s argument, I find his main idea of utmost importance in answering some burning challenges of contemporary democratic education. Contrary to Hirst’s thinking, I argue that this theoretical development can be best done within the framework of philosophical pragmatism, on which appropriate interpretations of the concepts of democracy, social practices and habits can be based. In this framework, it is also possible to preserve as educational ideals the pragmatist interpretations of the notions of rationality and autonomy. Based on my theoretical development relying both on early pragmatist and contemporary thinkers, I argue that education for democracy should start from the aim of providing children with emotionally rewarding experiences of participation, membership and belonging.

Digital technologies and social sustainability in the digital transformation age: a systematic analysis and research agenda

Purpose This paper aims to systematically review the constructive effects of digital transformation (DT) on social sustainability, examining its impact across democracy and governance, social cohesion, quality of life, equality and diversity. It emphasizes the need for appropriate frameworks that incorporate DT strategies in organizational practices to improve social sustainability. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was carried out through Web of Science and Scopus databases to identify the distinctive papers that explored the impact of DT on social sustainability. It analyzes how various digital technologies, like Internet of Things, cloud computing and mobile computing, can be strategically embedded in organizational practices to optimize social sustainability outcomes. Findings This study reveals that although DT significantly enhances operational capabilities and consumer experiences, its integration into social sustainability practices is often overlooked. It proposes a novel framework that aligns digital capabilities with sustainability goals, aiming to enrich organizational performance and societal welfare. This paper identifies dynamic capabilities as crucial for sustaining competitive advantage in a digitally transformed business landscape. Research limitations/implications The primary limitation is the reliance on secondary data, which may not fully capture the rapid advancements in DT. Future research should focus on empirical studies to validate the proposed framework and explore the dynamic capabilities required for integrating DT in social sustainability practices. Originality/value This study extends the discourse on DT by linking it explicitly with social sustainability, presenting a structured analysis that highlights the need for strategic integration of digital technologies within organizational sustainability practices. It fills a gap in the literature by proposing a comprehensive framework for organizations to follow, thereby contributing to the theoretical and practical understanding of DT’s role in enhancing social sustainability.

A Code of Ethics for the social performance profession

I advocate for the establishment of a Code of Ethics for social performance professionals, particularly in the extractive and energy industries where faster and more production is essential for the energy transition. Demand for social performance practitioners is increasing. As the profession evolves, it faces significant challenges due to a lack of standardised qualifications and frameworks. In this opinion piece, I underscore the critical role social performance professionals play in advising corporate decision-making and the necessity for professionalisation of the field. A Code of Ethics recognises three unique aspects of social performance practice that demand specific ethical guidance: multi-stakeholder accountability, complex power dynamics, and consideration of long-term impacts. The concept of ethical maturity in practitioners’ decision-making processes is discussed, and a set of ethical principles proposed, illustrated with practical scenarios. I conclude by emphasising that a well-defined Code of Ethics is essential for building a profession that is valued for its accountability, integrity and culture of ethics. Dialogue among practitioners and stakeholders is crucial to ensure that the code reflects the complexities of social performance practice and contributes to responsible business practices.

Examining the implementation of UN sustainable development goals in Brazilian universities

Purpose This study aims to examine how Brazilian universities have implemented the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in institutional practices, curriculum and teaching, management and community outreach programs. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on content analysis of the data sets of Brazilian higher education courses and their link to SDGs. A literature review has also been developed to integrate the knowledge of sustainability practices in Brazilian universities. Dashboards will be used to present the related findings. Findings Brazilian universities’ practices have concentrated their efforts on SDGs, which include responsible consumption and production, sustainable cities and communities and quality education. The literature emphasizes energy efficiency, reflecting its prominence as a subject of study among universities. Originality/value This research highlights the innovative use of data analysis techniques to present the findings. It also provides examples of environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices, frameworks and tools that can help sustainability management in this sector.

Exploring women’s lived experiences of substance use and social work to inform social work education and practice, an Irish perspective

ABSTRACT Mothers dealing with substance use face increased stigma when interacting with the health and social systems, putting them under pressure. Contemporary Irish social work policies emphasize Hidden Harm, which prioritizes the well-being of the child. Though this is necessary to an extent to protect children in social care situations, the needs of parents are often unconsidered. Likewise, their perspectives on social work are underrepresented within the field’s discourse. This study explores the perspectives of Irish women in substance use treatment on their experiences within the social work system. A semi-structured group discussion methodology was utilized. All women who were engaged with services at Agency One and Two, two women-only substance use treatment facilities, were invited to participate. Nine discussion groups were formed across the two services. A total of n = 47 women participated in the study. The participants reported a lack of support and transparency from social work professionals and overwhelmingly negative experiences in the care system. Experiences of intergenerational pathways to entering the care system were strongly present. The experiences of the participants were largely negative and contradicted Ireland’s social work policies. Continued perspectives from this population, along with social work professionals, are necessary.

Situated knowledge-making in dynamic collaboration: A reflexive case study of social work practice research in mainland China

Situated knowledge-making in dynamic collaboration: A reflexive case study of social work practice research in mainland China