Wroclaw University of Economics - Department of Sociology and Social Policy and Polish Social Policy Association are pleased to invite you to
4th International Conference of ESPAnet Poland
SOCIAL POLICY: CONTROVERSIES AND PARADOXES
Social policy is a place where various theories are confronted. These are based on different research findings, viewpoints, attitudes and values. Nothing is obvious and unambiguous. Every action is taken in order to change social reality, but many questions stay unanswered, e.g.: what shall we aim at? What tools may be used? Who should be responsible for social tasks performance? Disparate research strategies and outlooks provide numerous answers that are often contradictory or controversial. Actions undertaken frequently cause unexpected or even paradoxical results.
During the conference we would like to focus on following topics:
- what controversies appear in separate social policy fields?
- what choices and alternative solutions occur in social policy?
- what unexpected results are or might be caused by social tasks performance?
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
- first name and last name
- title
- institution
- e-mail address
- telephone number
- stream number and title (a list of streams available below)
- title of a paper
- summary of a paper (max 2000 characters including spaces)
STREAMS
Participants may submit papers to streams listed below. Language of the title (polish/english) is also language of the stream. You may find english streams descriptions and names of stream convenors below the following list.
01: Challenges of Ageing Policy – Successful and Unsuccessful Attempts to Satisfy the Needs of Ageing Societies
02: Controversial Solutions in Social Policy
03: Deinstytucjonalizacja usług społecznych
04: Ekonomiczne aspekty zabezpieczenia społecznego
05: Innowacje społeczne a lokalna polityka społeczna
06: Jakość życia osób w wieku 50 lat i więcej w Polsce
07: Kontrowersje i paradoksy polityki mieszkaniowej. Teorie, doktryny i praktyka
08: Kontrowersje i paradoksy polityki rodzinnej
09: Kontrowersyjne rozwiązania w polityce społecznej
10: (Nie)udana i (nie)efektywna polityka publiczna wobec osób z niepełnosprawnościami
11: Nowe koncepcje dotyczące spadku płodności w krajach europejskich – implikacje dla polityki rodzinnej
12: Paradoksy współczesnej polityki edukacyjnej
13: Paradoxes and Controversies of Family Policy
14: Polityka społeczna a polityka publiczna
15: Polityki społeczne i zmiana społeczna we współczesnej Ameryce Łacińskiej
16: Pomoc społeczna – paradoksy systemu
17: Przestępczość socjalna
18: Social Exclusion in Poor Neighbourhoods and its Implications for Regeneration Policy
19: Social Innovation and Technological Innovation in Ageing Policies in the European Union: Emerging Alternatives and Controversies
20: Stan zdrowia ludności a wyzwania polityki społecznej
21: Technologie i innowacje społeczne - w kierunku nowych usług społecznych?
22: Who Benefits and Who does not – Old Age Pension Reforms in Times of Crises and Growing Uncertainty
23: Wyzwania polityki senioralnej – udane i nieudane próby odpowiedzi na potrzeby starzejących się społeczeństw
24: Open Stream
25: Sesja otwarta
Detailed information on streams in English
01: Challenges of Ageing Policy – Successful and Unsuccessful Attempts to Satisfy the Needs of Ageing Societies
Stream convenors: Grzegorz Gawron, Marek Niezabitowski
The ageing process causes tremendous and unprecedented challenges for governments, economies (markets) and societies. It also implies the necessity of satisfying the needs of increasing groups of senior citizens who have special requirements, rights and justifiable aspiration for proper (suitable) quality of life.
As a result of present and expected demographic changes the issues of old age, as well as ageing and its consequences for individuals, groups, local communities and societies become more often the topic of detailed discussion. Within the field of social policy there is also controversy over the necessity of special policy for senior citizens (safeguarding their needs), as well as policy on or in the face of population ageing. This kind of policy should deal with the issues like for example:
- propagation of healthy lifestyle and appropriate ways to protect one’s health;
- delaying the end of professional career (activity), furthermore taking actions in support of searching for a work, as well as education aimed at enhancement of life satisfaction;
- provision of appropriate house for elderly people according to their needs, physical efficiency and mobility;
- supporting an idea of lifelong learning, self-fulfilment and leisure activities;
- ehancement of quality of life of elderly people and their families due to social services, social support and care.
Effective policy management in these areas is primarily the necessity of creating and implementing a variety of solutions and actions that should favor the creation of broadly understood age-friendly environment (eg. helping to maintain an active lifestyle and independent functioning as long as possible).
Therefore we want to explore and take a critical look at the senior policy at all levels of organization - from national programs to local initiatives. We would like to stimulate an exchange of views and ideas between theorists and practitioners who come from various groups and communities (not only representatives of the social sciences) and take thus a multidisciplinary discussion.
02: Controversial Solutions in Social Policy
Stream convenor: Stanisław Kamiński
There are plenty of questions in social policy and even more answers. Various solutions might be used to solve the same social problems, based on different values, theoretical concepts or research findings. Some of these solutions become controversial. Reasons might be varied; eg contradiction to dominant values and viewpoints, inconsistency with traditional tools, relative expensiveness or unpredictability of results. The example of such solution in social policy might be idea of basic income or Family 500 plus programme in Poland.
The aim is to provide a space for discussion on controversial solutions and to define their functions in social policy theories and practice.
I invite you to submit papers either theoretical or empirical. Papers may refer to general ideas (like basic income) and/or to specific social policy tools/action plans.
13: Paradoxes and Controversies of Family Policy
Stream convenors: Piotr Michoń, Joanna Szczepaniak-Sienniak
The are many choices to be made for policymakers in respect to family policy. Cash benefits or social services? Parental leave: long or short? For father, mother or both? The same or different for men and women? Supporting the development of crèches or family child care? Kindergarten; compulsory or voluntary? What family model should be supported? What kind of family policy model is most desirable? What should be the priorities of family policy? What should be the division of responsibility for carrying out tasks between the family, state and other entities? Who and to what extent should cover the cost of services? Etc. ...
These and other controversies continue to occur in Poland as well as in other European countries. The demographic, social and economic changes make the problems to reveal again. Job insecurity and economic vulnerability, economic inequality, difficulties to combine work and family responsibilities, the need for social investments, new types of families and many others provide a new landscape for contemporary family policy.
Although the determinants, challenges, trends and dilemmas of contemporary family policy are similar in most countries, politicians in different countries choose different methods to solve them. The purpose of this thematic session is to discuss these diversity, including the proposed solutions and their results for today's family, society or economy.
Session attendees are particularly invited to present research papers showing the controversy and paradoxes of individual family policy areas.
18: Social Exclusion in Poor Neighbourhoods and its Implications for Regeneration Policy
Stream convenors: Izabela Grabowska, Paweł Śliwowski
Poverty, as well as social exclusion on deprived areas are one of most widely studied social and economic phenomena in both developed and developing countries (Mitlin and Satterthwaite 2012; 2014, Goode, Maskovsky 2001; Kazepov 2008; Mingione 1996 and 2008).Debates on antipoverty programmes are highly visible in the scientific literature (Wilson, 1997; Moser, 1998; Kleinhans et. al 2010). Although there is a growing body of evidence on the topic, researchers underline the significant gap between the conceptual understanding of social exclusion and poverty and their measurement (DANIDA 2000). Since 1960's and President Johnson's "War on Poverty" economists established different frameworks to assess the outcomes of antipoverty policies (Haveman 1987). Most of that research utilizes economic modeling based on large quantitative datasets, mainly census data. In subsequent decades also experimental and quasi-experimental designs emerged as an influential source of evidence for policy. Yet, in recent years we have witnessed growing intellectual dissatisfaction with the wide acceptance of the policies as 'black-boxes'. Sophisticated studies of causal relations between inputs and outcomes of policies were mainly disregarding the "how" and "why" questions.
Taking this into account, the aim of this panel is to present both quantitative and qualitative research on social exclusion in poor neighborhoods, which can help in both practical and theoretical terms. From the policy perspective understanding of mechanisms underlying social exclusion in poor neighborhoods should be treated as a building block of regeneration policy design. From the theoretical perspective research should enrich the conceptual models used for quantitative and experimental designs.
19: Social Innovation and Technological Innovation in Ageing Policies in the European Union: Emerging Alternatives and Controversies
Stream convenors: Andrzej Klimczuk, Łukasz Tomczyk
The session will continue discussion undertaken during the 3rd International Conference ESPAnet-Poland. This session will focus on both positive and negative side of social innovation and technological innovation that are increasingly recognized as important concepts associated with the formulation of responses to the challenges of ageing populations.
For example, the concepts related to the “silver economy”, the “new ageing marketplace”, or the “boomer market” may be considered both as “hope” or as “hype” and included in various ways in ageing policies. It is important to discuss not only the potential advantages of these concepts but also their limitations and alternatives (see “Aging: Concepts and Controversies”, Moody and Sasser 2012; “Economic Foundations for Creative Ageing Policy”, Klimczuk 2015, 2017).
The aim of the session is to discuss the programming, promotion, and implementation of innovative policies, programs, and projects related to ageing. In particular, we draw attention to the search for so-called “best” and “worst” practices, testing of innovative models, and dilemmas in the fields of management, financing, implementing and maintaining the sustainability of these new programs.
The session welcomes papers that will provide both theoretical and empirical findings. Selected topics that we would like to underline include, but are not limited to:
- Social innovations and co-production schemes based on diversity of ageing policy concepts (such as healthy ageing, active ageing, creative ageing, and ageing in place);
- Disruptions and challenges for integrated public policies for older adults and intergenerational programs related to delivering social, health and care services;
- Governance and ageing policies, including (insufficiencies of) multilevel and multisectoral approaches to age-friendly cities and communities (see Phillipson 2015);
- “The valley of death” and “crossing the chasm” (see Moore 2013) in the field of scaling social innovation and technological innovation for ageing societies;
- Opportunities and ethical controversies related to digital social innovation, ICT solutions, social and service robotics, smart solutions, gerontechnology, and welfare technology for independent living for older adults (see Hofmann 2012).
Papers presented in the thematic session will have a chance to be published in the planned volumes of the “Czech-Polish-Slovak Studies in Andragogy and Social Gerontology” series.
22: Who Benefits and Who does not – Old Age Pension Reforms in Times of Crises and Growing Uncertainty
Stream convenor: Janina Petelczyc
The economic crises have affected public finances in the countries throughout the world. Increasing levels of the fiscal deficit, as well as the public debt, coincided with a decreasing contribution base caused by growing unemployment overlapped with the long-term trend of ageing and created a specific window of opportunity for old-age pension reforms. Within last years, most of the pensions system have been reformed: from increasing retirement age, making an equivalence between contributions and benefits stricter, to restricting access to pension benefits in general. (Casey 2012, Guardianich 2013, Polakowski 2012). From the other side, the global tendency towards pension privatisation is shrinking (Hagemejer, Makarski, Tyrowicz 2013) Policy-makers start to re-appreciate the public pension systems and the idea of the minimum guaranteed pension. (Orenstein 2011). However, the dominantly defined contribution formula and still lower retirement age for women than men in certain countries will cause strong inequalities between different groups of future pensioners (Radl 2013, Griffin, Loh, Hesketh 2013, Dorn, Sousa-Poza, 2008).
The changes described above indicate two types of contradictory reforms. The first are re-privatization and building of minimum public safety net for the future pensioners, the second is a potential increase of income inequalities among different types of beneficiaries in the future. The organisers of the session welcome abstracts of papers which will deal with reform of pension systems during last years, their political and economic causes and which present the impact of these reforms on different groups of future pensioners.
24: Open Stream
Stream convenor: Łukasz Jurek
For more information please click "Further Official Information" below.
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http://espanetpolska2017.ue.wroc.pl/index.php?id=6