Ecosocial innovations enabling social work to promote new forms of sustainable economy

Social work research and practice that address environmental sustainability have already become prominent. However, a change in unsustainable economic structures is also urgently needed. This study explored emerging opportunities in theory and practice for a sustainable economy that are relevant to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of social welfare Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 378 - 389
Main Authors Matthies, Aila‐Leena, Peeters, Jef, Hirvilammi, Tuuli, Stamm, Ingo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.10.2020
Subjects
alternative economies
Case studies
Economic change
ecosocial innovations
Innovations
Labor market
Professional practice
Social goals
Social work
Social work research
Sustainability
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Summary:Social work research and practice that address environmental sustainability have already become prominent. However, a change in unsustainable economic structures is also urgently needed. This study explored emerging opportunities in theory and practice for a sustainable economy that are relevant to the aims of social work. As practical examples, our study concerns ‘ecosocial innovations’, i.e., social innovations that combine ecological and social goals. We analysed how these grassroots innovations in the field of social work reflect crucial shared conceptions of alternative economies. The qualitative data set comprised of 50 ecosocial innovations and six case studies in five European countries. The findings show a rich diversity of ecosocial innovations and describe how they reframe economic purposes, value economic diversity and democratise the economy. We suggest that social work might consider these practices as opportunities for collaboration, especially regarding work with people on the margins of the labour market.
ISSN:1369-6866
1468-2397
DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12423