Social Workers in Political Office

A Comparative Perspective on Recruitment, Career Patterns and Social Advocacy
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-4473-7348-3
Verlag: Bristol University Press

Buch, Englisch, 234 Seiten, Format (B × H): 235 mm x 157 mm, Gewicht: 372 g

Reihe: Research in Social Work

Available open access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.

One of the most significant ways that social workers can engage with policy is by holding elected office. How and why do social workers transition into political roles? And what impact do they have on policy making once they get there?

This book is the first systematic, comparative study of social workers in electoral politics across liberal democracies. Drawing on a common conceptual framework, leading scholars analyse the recruitment, career trajectories and advocacy roles of social workers in Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, the UK and the US. The book highlights key similarities, differences and underlying factors that shape social workers’ political engagement.

This is a valuable resource for academics, practitioners, policy makers and students in social work, social policy and political science, offering fresh insights into the intersection of professional practice and political leadership.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kindler, Tobias

Leitner, Sigrid

Löffler, Eva Maria

Stolz, Klaus

Weitere Mitwirkende

Kohlfürst, Iris

McLaughli, Anne-Marie

Zogata-Kusz, Agnieszka

Matulayová, Tatiana

Kroll, Christian

Blomberg, Helena

Salonen, Sanni

Weiss-Gal, Idit

Binder-Eilat, Noa

Gal, John

Guidi, Riccardo

Francesconi, Martina

Branco, Francisco

Warner, Joanne

Reuter, Christin

Lane, Shannon

Bryant, Allysha

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Arbeit/Sozialpädagogik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Social workers in political office: Conceptual framework and research agenda - Klaus Stolz and Sigrid Leitner

2. Austria: Social workers with political responsibility at the national level - Iris Kohlfürst

3. Canada: Social Workers in the House of Commons - Anne-Marie McLaughlin

4. Czechia: Social workers as members of the Czech parliament - Agnieszka Zogata-Kusz and Tatiana Matulayová

5. Finland: Taking political office to a new level? - Christian Kroll, Sanni Salonen and Helena Blomberg

6. Germany: Between civic engagement and social advocacy - Eva Maria Löffler

7. Israel: A limited presence on the national level - John Gal, Idit Weiss-Gal, Noa Binder-Eilat

8. Italy: Social workers in political office as a municipal phenomenon - Martina Francesconi and Riccardo Guidi

9. Portugal: Delayed political engagement and short terms of office - Francisco Branco

10. Switzerland: Strong representation of social workers in the cantonal and federal parliaments - Tobias Kindler

11. United Kingdom: Social Workers in Westminster – Party or Profession? - Christin Reuter and Joanne Warner

12. United States: Opportunities and barriers for social work members of Congress - Shannon Lane and Allysha Bryant

13. Comparative considerations on social workers in political office - Klaus Stolz, Sigrid Leitner and Tobias Kindler

Über Autor(innen)

Gal, John
John Gal is professor and dean at the Paul Baewald School of Social Work and Social Welfare at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has published extensively on social policy in a comparative perspective and on policy practice among social workers.

Leitner, Sigrid
Sigrid Leitner is Professor for Social Policy at the University of Applied Sciences Cologne. Her main research interests are comparative social policy analysis, gender effects of social policy, and social work as a political actor.

Weiss-Gal, Idit
Idit Weiss-Gal is an associate professor and Head of the Bob Shapell School of Social Work at Tel Aviv University. She has published extensively on the professional ideologies of social workers, on social work as a profession and on policy practice among social workers.

Warner, Joanne
Dr Joanne Warner is a senior lecturer in social work at the University of Kent. She is a registered social worker, beginning her career in community development work and generic practice before becoming an academic. Her research focuses on sociocultural approaches to risk, particularly the way ‘risk work’ has shaped professional practice and the impact of cultures of inquiry and blame, and also everyday risks as experienced by service users.

Tobias Kindler is Research Associate at the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences and a doctoral candidate at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Sigrid Leitner is Professor of Social Policy at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences.

Eva Maria Löffler is a social worker and Professor of Social Work at IU International University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg.

Klaus Stolz is a political scientist and Professor of British and American Social and Cultural Studies at Chemnitz University of Technology.