European
Interests – Europäische Angelegenheiten
Newsletter update 4-2000
Provided by/angeboten durch Independent Research European Social,
Organisational and Science Consultancy (ESOSC)
Report from workshop Sustainable workplace –
Bergendal, Stockholm,
Sweden
May 8-10, 2000
Countering unemployment – labour market policy in the 21st
century –
Die andere
Sicht: Arbeiten statt Leben in Europa –
4th Federal Social Work Congress, September 20th
to 22nd 2001, in Mainz, Germany – Perspectives
of Social Work in the European Integration Process –
Jetzt schon vormerken: 4. Bundeskongress Sozialarbeit. 20. bis 22. September 2001 in Mainz –
European awareness raising campaign against violence
towards women –
The wide world of Integration – Challenges for
providers of social services in Europe – Documentation of the International Congress of July
1999 – Wohlfahrtswerk für Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Wege in Arbeit – eine diakonische Politik für Menschen, die es auf dem
Arbeitsmarkt schwer haben
Ausländerrecht,
Ausländergesetz, Asylrecht (nur am Rande) – eine website, die Hilfe bietet –
The Welfare of Europe’s Children – Are EU member states
converging? – Review –
As well
of interest in this context – 13
Hoffnungen zum
Schluss – oder zu einer Art Neubeginn? –
Impressum +
Urheberrechts-Notiz
European Interests – Europäische
Angelegenheiten. Newsletter update 4-2000
In eigener Sache
Das Institut European Social, Organisational and Science Consultancy
(ESOSC) kann nun unter einer zusätzlichen FAX-Nummer erreicht werden.
Diese lautet 353.(0)87.52303335.
European Interests
– Europäische Angelegenheiten. Newsletter
update 4-2000
Own matters
We are glad to announce that it is now even easier to reach the Institute European Social, Organisational and Science Consultancy (ESOSC). As additional FAX number we launched the connection to +353.(0)87.52303335.
European Interests
– Europäische Angelegenheiten. Newsletter
update 4-2000
Report from workshop Sustainable workplace – Bergendal, Stockholm, Sweden. May 8-10, 2000
Arranged by TCO Development within the
Worklife 2000, Quality at work. organised by National Institute for Working
Life, the Joint Industrial Safety Council,
the National Board of Occupational Safety and Health and the National
Labour Market Board.
A sustainable workplace, takes into account the ecological and social results of the operations as well as the economic results. This triple bottom line was the starting point of a workshop on sustainable workplaces held at Bergendal outside of Stockholm in May 2000. Much of the discussion focused on the social aspects of sustainability, since these issues have been raised more recently than the ecological and economic aspects. The workshop was the contribution of TCO, the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees, to a series of workshops on working life that are being held in preparation for the European Conference on Working Life 2000, which will be hosted by the Swedish government, January 22-25 in 2001.
The Concept of Sustainable Workplaces
Participation was identified as a key factor to achieving more sustainable workplaces. All employees of a company should be involved in defining how their workplace could become more sustainable. Commitment of the employees also has the benefit of creating spill-over effects to the outside environment by changing patterns of production and consumption in the personal lives of employees
The concept of sustainable workplaces is elusive and participants of the workshop avoided searching for a final definition of the concept, emphasizing instead the importance of participation and demand-shaping processes.
Certain aspects were, however, highlighted as important for achieving greater sustainability. In brief summary, a sustainable workplace should be:
* Inclusive (workers should participate in defining sustainability and in developing the company)
* Regenerative (non-renewable resources should not be exhausted, this applies both to the environment and to human beings who need time to regenerate their resources).
* Opportunistic/flexible (the organisation should be able to take advantage of new ideas and new opportunities)
* Redistributive (resources should be redistributed to counteract great inequalities)
* Personal autonomy (workers should have a great degree of personal autonomy, which implies possibility and ability to influence their work and the workplace)
The list of qualities of a sustainable workplace was not exhaustive and participants underlined that different aspects may be emphasized by workers at different workplaces.
In order to succeed in formulating goals and strategies for greater sustainability, workers need to be;
* creative demand-shapers (posing demands for change on the organisation)
* carriers of knowledge (based on their knowledge workers can lead processes of change)
* partners in business development (contributing to continuous development of the business operations)
Trade unions can support workers in this process of change by providing tools and education and promoting issues of sustainability.
Background
On
the macro level the idea of ”sustainable workplaces” was defined by the World
Commission for the Environment and Development in 1988, followed by the Rio
conference four years later. The UN action programme for sustainable
development – Agenda 21 – stresses the importance of limiting and eliminating
non-sustainable patterns of production and consumption, with the aim of
achieving sustainable development and a higher standard of living for everyone.
In working life this implies that not only should industrial injuries and
illness be avoided, but people should also be able to use their full potential
and creativity in their work. It implies having a strong commitment to the
natural environment and avoiding negative effects of production and consumption
on the environment. These environmental aspects of Agenda 21 are supported by
standards for industrial environmental management (EMAS and ISO 14001).
Co-Operation as a Driving Force in the Process of Change
Co-operation is the catalyst which can promote changes towards increased sustainability.
These changes will not take place unless workers are involved at their workplace and as human beings. Lucien Royer from TUAC, the trade union advisor of OECD emphasized that it will be necessary to change the relationships between the employees as well as their relationship to the employer. When workers become committed to protecting the environment in the production this will also influence their private lives and their choices as consumers.
Participation is more of a process than a structure. An important prerequisite for participation is that there is time for regeneration, for reflection and absorption of new ideas, for education and meetings.
We need to find ways of enabling people to participate, not only in formal ways, but also through raising awareness and empowering people, said Peter Herrmann, Director of the European Social, Organisational and Science Consultancy.
At the core of participation is the issue of power, because participation requires influence over decisions. The power structures in workplaces have changed significantly during the last two centuries. In the early stages of industrialism Taylorism created a strongly authoritarian system. Taylorism was later followed by reformed Taylorism which was also authoritarian, but to a lesser degree. Today the dominating trend in western countries is human resource management, a system which is non-authoritarian but still forces people to oblige.
When people are forced to oblige they adopt strategies to resist. This causes inefficiency and unhealthy conditions at the workplace, emphasized Francesco Garibaldi, Director for the Institute for Labour Foundation, set up by Emilia Romagna Region in Bologna.
A sustainable workplace should be based on human resource development, a system which is organised between equals with room for personal will and personal choice. Human resource development creates a conducive organisation where there is a co-evolution of people and products. Such co-operation is the driving force for changes towards greater sustainability, commented Garibaldi.
In society, co-operation between different groups can strengthen the impact of collective action. Trade unions, which reach and organise many people at the workplace, are increasing their involvement in issues outside of the workplace. In Sweden trade union members are offered home-insurance, computers and electricity. As trade unions widen their focus, co-operation with other organisations can also strengthen their impact. Environmental organisations and consumer organisations can be important partners to support changes towards sustainable workplaces. If, for instance, information is spread about companies which profit from unsustainable production, many consumers will choose to not buy products from that company. This has proved to be true in a number of cases where consumer-boycotts have followed media reports on production that harms the environment, on companies that harrass trade unions or use child-labour.
The level and quality of co-operation, will be decisive in the process to create more sustainable workplaces. This is also true for changes in society. If change is left to the market forces, not much will happen, commented workshop leader Dennis Gregory, from the Centre for European Labour Studies, Ruskin College, Oxford. Somewhat more will be achieved if legislation is used as a pathway for change. Using the pathway of national and international regulations could promote a higher degree of sustainability. However, in order to achieve a high degree of sustainability it is necessary to choose a pathway with strong involvement and co-operation through collective action. Trade unions, employers, consumer organisations and other non-governmental organisations need to be involved in collective action to achieve highly sustainable workplaces. In these endeavours they may use tools such as certification, labelling and negotiations.
None of the pathways should be ignored. Market forces, legislation, regulation and collective action are all necessary forces to reach the goal. However, those involved in collective action should try to influence all other forces.
Constraints that Block Desired Changes
Today’s western societies rely on too high demands on non-renewable resources in the environment and on human beings, causing an unsustainable situation. The natural environment is deteriorating, while a majority of the population has become accustomed to excessive consumption. Although many societies have high levels of unemployment, people who are working are confronted with increasing stress. A growing number of people burn-out because of high time-pressure and heavy workload.
Time-pressure poses a serious impediment to achieving more sustainable workplaces. Lack of time means there is no time for reflection, education or dialogue and no time for regenerating human resources
We don’t give ourselves time to be anything more than ignorant, commented Sören Bergström, professor in business economy at Stockholm University. We live in an ignorance culture where most experts know only one thing. A sustainable workplace, however, must depend on a lot of knowledge.
Another constraint is fear of change, most people are afraid of the unknown. Being creative and starting a process of change is subversive – conflicts will probably arise. While this can be fruitful it may also be destabilising. When employees become empowered they start presenting more ideas and raising more demands. This poses a challenge on management, which often tends to be conservative to change instead of creating room for creativity and taking advantage of the opportunities which are released.
In some situations, more sustainable workplaces may also come with a side effect of unemployment. Especially in the sectors of energy and transportation there is a conflict between better environment, good working conditions and high employment.
Workers will loose their jobs because of climate regualation, but they will also loose their jobs because of litigation due to climate change, said Lucien Royer from TUAC, the trade union advisor of OECD.
Another aspect of unemployment, raised by Sabine Heegner, from Hannover city, is that people outside of the workforce risk being increasingly marginalized. This is an effect which should be kept in mind while focusing on developing sustainable workplaces.
Incongruency in the supporting framework was also mentioned by several participants as a constraint. One exeample is the incongruence in government action to change unsustainable patterns of production and consumption. While government may introduce policies to promote more sustainable agricultural production they do not link these policies to efforts to influence consumers to support these agricultural products. At the workplace there are often examples of incongruency between policy and action which not only may cause inefficiency, but also confusion, dissatisfaction and low self-esteem.
While there are many constraints to achieving more sustainability, it is widely recognized that the situation is unsustainable and this may push people to look for change. However, focusing only on the negative aspects is propably not sufficient to promote positive changes.
Visions Supported by Good Local Examples
We need positive visions that can pull the development of our societies in the direction of higher sustainability. While laws and regulations are necessary to avoid the worst examples of unsustainable behaviour, visions of a better future are needed to achieve the good examples.
International visions can promote change on a global and national level. In Sweden, Agenda 21 has resulted in the establishment of 15 national environmental quality goals which are continuously being evaluated.
International visions are also important to inspire and support individuals that seek to influence their local environment. Several participants underlined that the starting point for change is usually local, at the workplace. There is a growing number of good examples where people strive to create more sustainable workplaces. Lucien Royer mentioned the number of trade unions around the world which have shown new consciousness and commitment to sustainable development. One example is the local Timber and Woodworkers Union (TWU) in Ghana which established a tree nursery, wood lots and teak plantations. The union is planning to expand reforestation and environmental awareness programs.
Two invited speakers to the workshop presented Swedish examples of business enterprises that strive to achieve positive ecological and social results as well as good economic results.
Totta Ogander, environmental officer at Sånga-Säby which is owned by the Swedish Farmers’ Association, described how a run-down conference center had become popular and profitable by placing a strong emphasis on environmental issues. When a new director took over the management of Sånga-Säby, he saw a need to cut the size of the personnel but also to change the culture and develop a new vision focusing on the environment. Employees were provided with information on the financial situation of the conference center and they also received environmental education. Through focusing on environmental issues, aiming to become the most ecological conference center in Sweden, the overall quality and service-level was also raised.
Staff at Sånga-Säby are continuously involved in improving and developing their workplace. The environmental aspects of Sånga-Säby include using renewable energy, lake water, ecological food products, eco label articles, few chemicals, long-lasting inventory items, renewable energy vehicles and limiting air pollution, water pollution and sorting waste to reduce the weight of waste per guest. Personnel of Sånga-Säby have even followed the public waste transport to make sure that the waste, once sorted, is handled properly by the authorities.
A different approach to achieving a sustainable workplace was described by Ola Löhman, responsible for the concept of sustainable development at KPA, an asset management, fund and pension insurance company, owned by local and city councils in Sweden. Ola Löhman stressed the importance of defining what you wish to achieve in order to make it happen. His definition of sustainability is based on Agenda 21 and the triple bottom line of the ecological, social and economic aspects. The aim of KPA becomes to work for a better future for people and the environment.
Löhman stressed the importance of measuring sustainability and KPA was introducing audits on its ecological and social results, as a complement to the mandatory financial audits. In the future these three different audits will be integrated into one. For the environmental aspects KPA has ISO 14001 certification, which for example requires that all companies KPA invests in need to have a plan to improve environmental factors of their business.
The social audit is being developed through a stakeholders dialogue which includes owners and employees, suppliers, the media, authorities, trade unions, environmental organisations, invested companies, not invested companies, people in the third world, neighbours, customers, pensioners. Through the dialogue KPA receives input on their social performance. Löhman mentioned General Motors and Ford as examples of other companies doing similar social auditing.
Good examples also need supportive structures, on micro level as well as on macro level. Many organisations are not supportive of the creativity which is necessary to create ”good examples”. Society also needs a structure that supports companies that strive to become more sustainable. Ernst Hollander from the Technical College in Gävle suggested that new forms of taxation could be introduced to support infant green industries.
TCO Experience of Promoting Sustainability in the Workplace
In the 1980’s the environmental issues connected to computers became an important issue for the members of TCO, The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees. A network of experts and users was formed in order to gain knowledge about the new working environment. New test methods and standards for ergonomic quality were developed. The TCO-certification of computers eventually became a global success with almost 3000 certified models.
TCO continuously updates the standards for certifying computers, computer screens, keyboards, printers, faxes and copying machines. The concern for workplace environment has been further developed to a program called 6E which takes into account the factors of ecology, ergonomics, economics, emissions, energy and efficiency. The basic ideas of 6E are founded on Agenda 21 and it provides companies and employees with a practical model to improve both the internal and external environment at the workplace. The workshop at Bergendal was an initiative by TCO to continue the work of developing 6E and contributing to more sustainable workplaces.
Sustainability for the Individual – Facing the Risk of Burning Out
Even in workplaces based on human resource development, individuals face the risk of working too hard and burning out. Probably the two groups who are most prone to burning out are workers in stressful jobs with low personal autonomy and little room for creativity and workers in the most creative jobs with a high degree of personal autonomy.
For individuals it is often easier to push their own resources to reach a goal, than to restructure their work situation, even if they have strong personal autonomy, commented Mari Kira, postgraduate student at the Institute for Industrial Economics and Management at the Royal Institute of Tecnology in Sweden.
Short-term interests also tend to dominate when people make choices. Workers vote for long hours by working them, this week and the next week and the next ...
Sustainable workplaces need to take into consideration the risk that people become workaholics and neglect their private lives. Too strong identification with the organisation is not positive. It is more desirable to have a situation where workers commute between distance and closeness. ”Being in the house you want to build, but also to step outside of it and see it from a distance,” commented Ernst Hollander.
The Costs of Unsustainable Patterns
Never before in our lifetime has there been such financial emphasis of the running of business, commented Sören Bergström.
Bergström described the general idea of a business enterprise as; using resources in your operations in order to produce values. Today this simple formula is often misconceived and business leaders ask ’how much do I get paid?’, instead of focusing carefully on the value they produce. Instead of seeing the resources they rely on, they ask ’how much do you want to get paid?’.
Problems in the work environment cause inefficiency and hamper business success. Bergström underlined the importance of focusing on results in the process, which means relying more on the people at the workplace than if results are only measured after the project is finished.
In business enterprises, management needs to prioritise the areas of working environment, environmental concerns and sustainable development in order to manage these issues strategically.
Mats Karling from the Swedish Institute of Production Engineering Research, IVF, estimates that the bulk of the cost for unsustainable production is carried by the individual. According to a new model produced by IVF in Sweden, it is estimated that the individual pays some 64 percent of costs for bad environment at the workplace, while society pays 28 percent and the company 8 percent. Karling underlined that it is more constructive to talk of the total cost rather than specifying how it is divided. However, more of the cost should be transferred to enterprises.
In a wider discussion of costs, Peter Herrmann emphasized that the social services are carrying the costs of enterprises who have failed to avoid negative side-effects of their production. One definition of a sustainable company could be that it doesn’t externalise its costs, commented Mari Kira.
Several participants pointed to the fact that the stock market promotes short-term decisions in order to generate profits quickly. Time and profits which are gained through short-sighted decisions will, however, need to be paid for later. It may be much more costly to pay for a deteriorated environment in the future, than if we today take the cost of basing decisions on environmental concern.
The Role of Trade Unions
Collectivity has become a controversial word for some people in today’s western societies. Instead of one collective identity, we are gaining multiple collective identities. Mass movements in general are on the decline and membership in trade unions is decreasing. In the fast-growing ”new” sector of IT-technology, trade unions are usually seen as redundant.
The workshop agreed, however, that these changes in western societies do not imply that trade unions, social movements or other collective institutions at global, national or local level are not necessary. On the contrary, they are crucial to achieve more sustainable workplaces.
Trade unions have survived so far. Their challenge today is not to be a reflection of the way industry is changing, but to be steady and go for what are the long-term interests of their members, commented Sören Bergström.
In the discussion of how trade unions can increase their influence and mobilize more people, it was underlined that trade unions need to be creative and mobilize power on many levels. The importance of international networks was also emphasized. Through international networks, global standards for health and safety at the workplace can be developed and linked to environmental issues.
Networking should be widened to include non-governmental organisations and consumer organisations. For the local trade unionist that strives to increase sustainability at the workplace, the local environmental movement may be a more important partner for change than the national trade union organisation. While negotiating on traditional issues will continue to be important, trade unions should also widen the understanding of their role and put the process of negotiating in a wider context which includes patterns of consumption.
Communication and information were stressed as important ways to mobilize power. Spreading information on companies with high or low sustainability could influence consumers to avoid products from unsustainable companies, for instance by ratings on the internet. In some countries trade unions are using labelling to support ”good” products or more sustainable companies. Consumption is then more closely linked to production and the conditions of production.
The level of participation in trade unions was also identified as a core issue. Employees and union members should be the leaders of change.
Francesco Garibaldi underlined that listening to what people have to say is crucial for the success of trade unions.
Trade unions need to exchange their role of teaching to a role of listening. Unions should be a conductive tool, a co-part. In their work they should use a methodology based on listening, said Francesco Garibaldi.
Trade unions could provide tools and offer education in order to enable people to become leaders of change. This is the strategy that TCO will adopt, commented Anna Pramborg concept development officer of 6E at TCO Development. The tools should involve all staff and integrate issues of internal and external environment. Through this strategy, TCO will pursue its vision; to contribute to sustainable development at workplaces.
Participants:
Mr Lucien Royer, head of TUAC, trade union advisor to the OECD, ICFTU; Paris, France
Mr Denis Gregroy, Centre for European Labour
Studies, Ruskin College; Oxford, England
Mr Ernst Hollander, Hogskolan i Gavle, ass
professor at Economic Institute at University College of Gavle; Gavle, Sweden
Mr Mats Karling, IVF, Swedish Institute of
Production Engineering Research; Molndal, Sweden
Ms Sabine Heegner,
Hannover Stadt; Hannover, Deutschland
Franscesco Garibaldo, IPL, Istituto per il Lavoror;
Bologna, Italy
Mr Lars Karlsson, Hippopotamus Education, Dr
Philosophy; Vienna, Austria
Mr Jonathan Feldman, National Institute of Working
Life, PhD; Stockholm, Sweden
Mr Soren Bergstrom,
Stockholm House of Sustainable Economy, Stockholm University, business economy;
Stockholm, Sweden
Mr Per Erik Boivie, Boivie Workplace Development;
Stockholm, Sweden
Mr Peter Herrmann, ECOSOC, European Social
Organisational and Sciencer
Consultany, dipl soc, dr Phil.; Aghabullogue, Ireland
Mrs Mari Kira, Royal Institute of Technology, inst
industrial Economics and managemenet, PhD; Stockholm, Sweden
From TCO Development:
Ms Anna Pramborg, concept development officer, TCO
Development; Stockholm, Sweden
Mr Jan Rudling, MD of TCO Development; Stockholm,
Sweden
From
National Institute of Working Life:
Ms Lena Skiold, journalist; Stockholm, Sweden
Mr Richard Ennals, professor Kingston Business School; Kingston, England and visiting professor at the Swedish National Institute of Working Life; Stockholm, Sweden
Contact:
TCO Development. Linnégatan
14. SE-114 94 Stockholm. Sweden. ph +46 8 782 92 00. fax +46 8 782
92 07. e-mail: development@tco.se
Contact person: Anna Pramborg. anna.pramborg@tco.se. ph +46 8 782 93 46
European Interests
– Europäische Angelegenheiten. Newsletter
update 4-2000
Countering unemployment – labour market policy in the 21st century
During the course of the preparation of Work Life Conference 2000 a workshop took place in April 2000. As the summary by Johan Wickström states ‘The pathways between jobs, training and different types of time off must be made simpler if we are to ensure that people do not become stuck in unemployment. This require both an active labour market policy and more flexible rules, argued several of the participants in a workshop in Berlin concerning labour market policy in the 21st century.’ From the many valuable and interesting contributions only one will be mentioned here – a strong argument against workfare measures as they arise all over Europe. ‘Long-term unemployment is not an incentive problem, argued Rune Aberg. Cutting the dole money will not get the unemployed back into work. It is not as simpler as that. There are other factors that come into play when it comes to the chances of getting a job’.
Contact:
Work Life 2000. Nation al Institute for working Life. S – 11279 Stockholm.
Sweden. Ph.: +46.86196734. Telecopie:
+46.86183635. e-mail: arnew@niwl.se
As well of interest: Employment
through Flexibility - Squaring the Circle? – Findings from the EPOC survey
prepared by the EPOC Research Group. A study based on the findings of the EPOC
survey on the relation between flexibility in European workplaces, such as
direct participation, product and process innovation and employment levels.
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions,
Dublin, 1999. Price (excluding VAT) in Luxembourg: EUR 22. Office for Official
Publications of the European Union, Cat. No. SX-21-99-440-EN-C, ISBN
92-828-6562-2. For further information on the EPOC project please contact
Camilla Galli da Bino at 00 353 1 2043125 or gdb@eurofound.ie
European Interests
– Europäische Angelegenheiten. Newsletter update 4-2000
Die andere Sicht: Arbeiten statt Leben in
Europa
Entschuldigung: Leben und Arbeiten in
Europa, so lautet der Titel einer ’Dokumentation Europäische Union und
Sozialpolitik, die vom Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Sozialordnung in der
Bundesrepublik Deutschland herausgegeben wurde. Der Versprecher ist kein
Zufall, denn so wichtig die Themen sind, die in der Veröffentlichung
angesprochen sind, so einseitig sind sie auf den Bereich der Erwerbsarbeit
bezogen.
I. Einfuehrung
II. Entwicklung der europäischen
Beschäftigungspolitik von Maastricht bis Koeln
III. Der Europäische Sozialfonds 2000 -
2006
IV. Entwicklungen der Sozialpolitik in
Europa
V. Erweiterung
VI. Weiterentwicklung der Vertraege
Contact: Bundesministerium für Arbeit und
Sozialordnung. Postfach 500. FRG-53105 Bonn. E-mail: info@bma.bund.de
European Interests
– Europäische Angelegenheiten. Newsletter
update 4-2000
4th Federal Social Work Congress, September 20th to 22nd 2001, in Mainz, Germany
Perspectives of Social Work in the European Integration Process
In the tradition of the previous congresses in Lüneburg, Tübingen and Dresden focussing on social work’s functions and perspectives in the competition society the Mainz congress will be aiming at the European perspective. The European integration process has changed the development and routine of social work in various aspects. Social changes pushed ahead by a changing Europe, migration, and transformation have created new problems as well as new fields of activity. On the one hand economic and monetary union limit the margin of social policy, on the other side the programmes of the European Structural Funds in many cases improve the working conditions of social work and youth welfare. Europe does not only promise wealth, protection, and mobility but also causes poverty, unemployment, and segregation. Europe has already turned up in social work‘s daily routine for a long time and Europe shows herself in exchange programmes and networks. Europe enables to learn from each other, but also means complexity and bureaucracy. This ambivalence of Europe pictures the frame within which social work has to define herself anew. Social work is facing the responsibility to clarify again her conditions, operations, impacts, and effects on local, regional, national and European levels, to specify feasibilities of a creative influence, and to develop alternative models against an economic Europe. The congress will contribute to these tasks.
European Interests
– Europäische Angelegenheiten. Newsletter update 4-2000
Jetzt schon
vormerken: 4.
Bundeskongress Sozialarbeit. 20. bis 22. September 2001 in Mainz
Nicht nur für die
Referentinnen und Referenten ist eine lange Vorlaufzeit für Konferenzen
angenehm, sonder auch für diejenigen die teilnehmen. So ist der Termin für den
4ten Bundeskongress Sozialarbeit jetzt schon vorzumerken: Vom 20ten
bis zum 22ten September im Jahr 2001 findet dieses für die
Professionellen im Sozialbereich wichtige Treffen in Mainz statt.
Gestaltung des Sozialen – eine Herausforderung für Europa
so lautet das
Rahmenthema und ein Blick auf die Ankündigungsunterlagen zeigt, dass sich die
Veranstalter sind sich dabei durchaus bewusst sind, dass es eine
Herausforderung für die Profession selbst ist, den politischen und fachlichen Prozess
nicht nur zu begleiten, sondern massgebend von unten zu gestalten.
Konzeptionelle Überlegungen:
Das Thema ,,Gestaltung des Sozialen eine
Herausforderung für Europa“ soll durch unterschiedliche Zugänge – analytisch,
praktisch und politisch – in seiner thematischen Fülle bearbeitet werden. Diese
unterschiedlichen Zugänge finden sich strukturell in den drei Schwerpunkten –
Symposien am Donnerstag, Arbeitsgruppen am Freitag und Symposien am Samstag –
wieder.
Die Symposien am Donnerstag stellen im
Gesamtprogramm den Analyseteil dar. Im Zusammenhang mit der europäischen
Integration sind Polarisierungen möglich oder schon eingetreten, die mit den
Begriffspaaren symbolisiert werden. Das damit gekennzeichnete
Spannungsverhältnis soll bei der thematischen Ausgestaltung der Symposien
berücksichtigt werden.
Die thematische Bestimmung der
Arbeitsgruppen am Freitag orientiert sich an den Feldern der Sozialen Arbeit.
Sie sollen die Möglichkeit bieten, aktuelle Themen der pädagogischen Praxis
aufzugreifen und intensiv und kontrovers zu diskutieren.
Die Symposien am Samstag sollen als
Programmeinheit einen sozialpolitischen Akzent setzen. Als Grundprinzip der
thematischen Gestaltung gilt es, die Frage des Sozialen mit der Frage der
Demokratisierung auf europäischer Ebene zu verbinden. Aus der Vielfalt
relevanter Problemstellungen für die Soziale Arbeit wurden diejenigen
ausgewählt, die durch den Rückbezug auf Europa besonders virulent werden. Nach
Möglichkeit sollen bei der thematischen Ausgestaltung die Geschlechterfrage,
das Generationenproblem und der Ost-West-Gegensatz bedacht werden. Die
Auswirkungen der neu entstandenen europäischen Institutionen auf die Soziale
Arbeit in ihren unterschiedlichen Feldern sollte nicht vergessen werden.
Sowohl in den Symposien als auch in den
Arbeitsgruppen gilt es die Themen europäisch zu projizieren. Internationales
RefentInnenspektrum sowie die Orientierung auf Vergleichsstudien sind ebenfalls
ein wichtiger Faktor für die Europäische Orientierung.
En detail sind die
Themen:
Symposien
am Donnerstag
Arm & reich:
Europäische Größenverhältnisse von Armut und Reichtum
Fremd &
vertraut: Migration in und um die Festung herum
Dumm & klug:
Glanz und Elend der kognitiven Gesellschaft
Alt & jung: Die
sozialen Bedingungen der Generationen
Man & frau:
Differenz und Gleichheit der Lebensbedingungen durch Europa
Faul & fleißig:
Europäische Arbeitslosigkeit zwischen Schattenarbeit und Arbeitslosenbewegung
Gesund & krank:
Vom Arbeitsschutz im EWG-Vertrag bis zum freien Markt der Versicherungssysteme
Angepasst &
ausgeklinkt: Die Pluralität des Abweichens und die europäischen
Kontrollversuche
Virtuell &
persönlich: Die Technisierung der Sozialen Arbeit
Aktiv & passiv:
Die europäische Bürgergesellschaft
Symposien
am Samstag
Soziale Arbeit und
Rassismus: Wie kann das Zusammenleben in der neuen Vielfalt gestaltet werden?
Arbeit mit
Arbeitslosen: zwischen Bildungssystem und Arbeitsmarkt – welche Sozialarbeit
braucht der „Integrationssektor“?
Disziplin für die
Profession: welche Wissenschaft der Sozialen Arbeit braucht ein soziales
Europa?
Wohlfahrtsmodelle
zwischen Markt, Staat und Intermediarität: An welchem Wesen soll Europa
genesen?
Vom Klienten zum
Produzenten: Neue Anforderungen aus einem partizipatorischen Konzept?
Soziale Arbeit in
der europäischen Öffentlichkeit: Kooperation von Bewegungen, Netzwerken und
professionelle Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Soziale Gestaltung
des Lokalen: Sind soziale Städte in Europa noch möglich?
Arbeitsgruppen
am Freitag
An diesem Tag finden
ganztägige Arbeitsgruppensitzungen statt. Es handelt sich um insgesamt 16
solcher Gruppen, die sich auf die verschiedensten Arbeitsgebiete der Sozialen
Arbeit beziehen.
Einige weitere
Veranstaltungen runden das Programm ab.
Die Vielfalt und
Offenheit, die sich in den Themen zeigt, lassen einen interessanten und
vorwärts weisenden Kongress erwarten.
Kontakt: 4.
Bundeskongress Soziale Arbeit. Organisationsbureau. Professor Dr. Franz
Hamburger. Dr. Helga Luckas. Pädagogisches Institut. Universität Mainz. FRG –
55099 Mainz. Ph. +49.(0)6131.3922918 resp. 3922916. Telecopie:
+49.(0)6131.3925995. e-mail: Franz.Hamburger@uni-mainz.de
European Interests
– Europäische Angelegenheiten. Newsletter
update 4-2000
European awareness raising campaign against violence towards women
The DAPHNE programme, launched in mid-1997 by the European Commission as a result of the 1996 Communication on Trafficking in women, was primarily intended to provide financial support to NGOs actively involved in combating violence against women, children and adolescents, to fund research, and pilot projects, to improve the training of the police force and social workers, to encourage prevention of and protection from sexual abuse, as well as the exploitation and trafficking of women and children.
Within the framework of the actions undertaken with a view to combating violence against women, the Commission has set up a European awareness raising campaign on domestic violence which has been ongoing through 1999 and will culminate in May 2000, with a conference organised by the Portuguese Presidency.
The front runner of the ’99 campaign is DG EMPL's Information for women sector.
With this initiative, the Commission is putting into practice a resolution adopted by the European Parliament in 1997, which stressed the “need to establish a European Union-wide campaign for zero-tolerance of violence against women”.
The campaign aims to put across the following messages: a. elimination of all forms of violence, including domestic violence, as an absolute priority, b. zero tolerance of violence against women. Additionally, in light of the results of the Eurobarometer on Europeans and domestic violence against women (46% of Europeans still believe that the provocative behaviour of women encourages the incidences of violence), this campaign also seeks to encourage a change in the general public’s attitude towards this phenomenon.
As well as being addressed to the general public, the European campaign against domestic violence is mainly focused on young people, violent and potentially violent men, children as witnesses of violence - a particularly vulnerable group - and women who have been abused.
To have the broadest possible impact on European citizens, the campaign encompasses radio, television and newspaper advertising. Slogans and relevant messages are also being spread through the Internet. Additional information (posters, brochures, stickers etc.) circulates through the Commission information networks, the Commission representations in the Member States, the relevant Ministries in the Member States as well as NGOs.
In particular, the visual part of the campaign includes:
* The CD-ROM “European Campaign against Domestic Violence” which features a campaign logo, a series of posters and slogans.
* A new web site on domestic violence on the Internet, at the following address: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg10/women/index_en.html
* The one-minute television advert "Domestic violence is a crime: break the silence", which was released at the end of September.
* The Eurobarometer n°51.0 on Europeans and domestic violence against women, presented by the former Commissioner Anita Gradin on 14 July 1999.
* The executive summary of the Eurobarometer (brochure format) called: "Europeans and their opinion about domestic violence against women" .
* The brochure “Domestic violence, break the silence!”.
Further to the calls for proposals published in the Official Journal 1999/C 94/10 and 1999/C 227/16, the Commission is co-financing 44 projects across the EU which undertake initiatives consistent with the campaign guidelines. The overall selection procedure was completed in 1999. Although the completion date differs from project to project, all the operations will have come to an end by 31 August 2000. The NGOs and public authorities involved, besides putting in place their own campaigns, are helping the Commission circulate the above-mentioned information material.
One Ministerial conference took place in Finland on 8 and 9 November 1999, under the Finnish Presidency, and one was held in Lisbon in co-operation with the Portuguese Presidency on 4 and 5 May 2000.
©
European Commission.
For
further information see: http://europa.eu.int/comm/justice_home/projet/daphne/en/index-htm.
Contact: eqop@cec.eu.int
European Interests
– Europäische Angelegenheiten. Newsletter update 4-2000
Die weite Welt der
Ausgrenzung – Erfahrungen aus der Programmarbeit der EU gegen Armut und
Ausgrenzung
Die zweite Ausgabe der
European Social Impulses, hrsg. von der European Social, Organisational and
Science Consultancy wurde nun veröffentlicht
Längere Zeit schon
ist im Gespräch, dass ein neues Armutsprogramm aufgelegt werden solle – nach
dreien solcher Programme ist dieser Strang der EU-Sozialpolitik 1993/94
massgeblich von der Regierung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland unterbunden worden
(s. Herrmann: Subsidiariät
und die falsche Zurückhaltung oder: Über den Sinn europäischer
Armutsprogramme); in: Nachrichtendienst des Deutschen Vereins für öffentliche
und private Fürsorge, Frankfurt/M., Issue 2/1995: pp. 79 – 86). Nun ist im Juni 2000
tatsächlich von der Europäischen Kommission ein Beschluss gefasst, hier wieder
aktiv zu werden. Am 19.6. wurde eine Pressemitteilung unter dem Titel
Aktionsprogramm zur Bekämpfung sozialer Ausgrenzung von der deutschen
Vertretung der Kommission vorgelegt; zu lesen ist dort “Die Europäische Kommission hat am 16. Juni den
Vorschlag für ein neues Gemeinschaftsprogramm zur Bekämpfung sozialer
Ausgrenzung angenommen.
Mit diesem Programm sollen nicht nur
gemeinschaftsweit vergleichbare Armuts-Bemessungskriterien eingeführt werden,
sondern vor allem soll die Kooperation zwischen den Mitgliedstaaten bei der
Bekämpfung der Armut erleichtert und die Vernetzung der Sozialpartner und der
in diesem Bereich tätigen Organisationen und Initiativen gefördert werden. Mit
diesem Vorschlag reagiert die Europäische Kommission auf den anlässlich des
Sondergipfels von Lissabon gefassten Beschluss, auf EU-Ebene eine umfassende
Wirtschafts- und Sozialstrategie in Gang zu setzen, die auf die Modernisierung
des europäischen Sozialmodells, Investitionen in das Humankapital und Förderung
der sozialen Eingliederung abstellt. Die für das Fünfjahresprogramm benötigten
Haushaltsmittel sind auf 70 Mio. Euro veranschlagt. Die Einbeziehung der
beitrittswilligen Länder in das Programm ist geplant.“ Diese neue Initiative wird uns sicherlich in diesem Mitteilungsblatt noch
mehrfach beschäftigen. Beim Schreiben dieser Zeilen ist es aus Brüssel jedoch
noch erstaunlich still. Das sonst oftmals so schnell arbeitende public
relations system hat diesen Bereich wohl noch nicht so recht entdeckt –
oder es wird erst gewartet, bis dann wirklich schon ein Stück des Weges
gegangen wurde – erst dann kann schließlich gezeigt werden, mit welchen Mitteln
die allgemeinen Planungsdaten in der Praxis Fuss greifen sollen.
NB: Für jene, die
Projekte in diesem Bereich beantragen wollen, kann dies durchaus eine harte
Zeit bedeuten, wenn dann die Anträge (wieder einmal) in relativ kurzer Zeit
verfasst werden müssen.
Ein Blick nach vorne
sollte aber durchaus mit einem Blick zurück verbunden werden. Im Rahmen der
früheren Initiativen, und insbesondere des 3ten Programms sind
schließlich Erfahrungen gesammelt worden, die durchaus Wert sind, nochmals
genauer betrachtet zu werden. Hierzu hat die European Social, Organisational
and Science Consultancy nun in der Intsitutseigenen Schriftenreihe European
Impulses einige Materialien zusammengestellt. Diese zweite Ausgabe der
Schriftenreihe gliedert sich in folgende Beiträge, die bei verschiedenen
Gelegenheiten im Jahr 1995 verfasst wurden von Peter Herrmann. In de
Vorbemerkung ist zu den Beiträgen zu lesen:
* Zunächst
wird auf eher theoretische Fragen der Sozialstrukturanalyse und Armutstheorie
eingegangen, die sich im Zusammenhang der Einführung des Begriffs ‚soziale
Ausgrenzung‘ anstelle der ursprünglichen Orientierung auf ‚Armut‘ ergeben.
* In
dem zweiten Text wird insbesondere ausführlich auf Erfahrungen einzelner
Projekte des Armut-3-Programms eingegangen, die gerade auch für die
Sozialarbeit wichtige Anregungen geben können.
* Daran
schließt sich eine kritische Auseinandersetzung mit dem Konzept und vor allem
der Umsetzung des Programms Armut 3 an. Ich hatte seinerzeit zusammen mit einer
Vertreterin der Kommission auf dem Podium gesessen und erwartete von ihrer
Seite eine Zurückweisung meiner Kritik. Etwas verwundert war ich dann – und mit
mir die Zuhörer –, als öffentlich und frei heraus nur zu hören war, daß mir
leider zuzustimmen sei und die verantwortlichen Referentinnen und Referenten
bei der Kommission sehr wohl um die Mängel wüßten.
* Schließlich ist in dem letzten Beitrag eine
komparative Perspektive auf die Programmerfahrungen aus Armut 3 gerichtet, die
verdeutlichen, daß bei solchen Maßnahmen immer auch der jeweilige nationale
Kontext für die Durchführung solcher Programme und deren Nutzbarmachung für die
weitere Arbeit von großer Bedeutung ist.
Diese Ausgabe kann
zum Preis von € 10.00 + pp gegen Nachnahme beim Institut oder über jede
Buchhandlung bestellt werden:
Peter Herrmann: Die
weite Welt der Ausgrenzung – Erfahrungen aus der Programmarbeit der EU gegen
Armut und Ausgrenzung; Aghabullogue: ESOSC-publications, 2000 (European Social
Impulses, 2); ISSN 1393-8452, ISBN 0-9536434
(Anschrift siehe im
Impressum)
European Interests
– Europäische Angelegenheiten. Newsletter update 4-2000
The wide world
of Integration – Challenges for providers of social services in Europe
Documentation of the
International Congress of July 1999 – Wohlfahrtswerk für Baden-Württemberg,
Germany
Senior
citizens’ lifestyles and need for support as a challenge for social services
providers in Europe - this had been the theme of an international congress,
which took place in July 1999. Meanwhile the documentation has been published.
And as it always should be it is the case here. The contributions can be read
in three languages – German, English and French. And as it always should be
here it had been the case: participants came from many other countries as well
and furthermore the European view went beyond the borders of the EU.
The two-days
conference looked at different issues. The first day has been concerned with
Housing with services and the second day concentrated on the issue of Concepts
in dementia patient care.
A first
important point is the broad understanding of social policy, which is underlying
the contributions of both of the two volumes. In the opening speech and the
ministerial welcome address we read ‘The themes of the present Congress … are
extremely topical. They concern a considerable portion of social policy. The
latter is not primarily a matter of laws or regulations or money. What is at
stake here is the fate and the way of life of old people who have worked long
and hard their whole lives and have experienced a great deal, and are now
entitled to live and be looked after in dignity.’ (83) And this seems not to be
understood as deflection from a rights-based approach. Rather it is the opening
of social policy for “real life”. And as such it opens the view for critical
approaches – as Ingrid Hastedt, the chairwomen of the board of management of
the Wohlfahrtswerk fuer Baden-Wuerttmeberg states in her address, answering the
question ‘Why this Congress today?’ ‘In the various countries of Europe today,
we have different general conditions and structures influencing the work of
caring for older people. This means that many different ideas and care concepts
are probably being developed on how to cope with the situation. We should take
advantage of the opportunity this offers since the time has com for us here in
Germany to make a critical review of the care concepts that have been practised
to date.’ (88) And what is stated here from the German perspective is as
important from any other national perspective, alike.
An overview
over the contributions in the first volume – the one on Housing with services –
has to highlight the following topics:
* Planning as
a community development approach with its holistic character.
* The openness
of service providers, the necessity for them to develop unconventional
approaches, new institutional settings and financing structures – these
questions are not least concerned with the discussion about privatisation. An
additional aspect of this is the important contribution the providers have to
make to the dignity of the carers.
* The
discussion of the long term care insurance and the orientation on customers
emphasize care as personal relationship and as a network of care and
assistance: ‘Care of the future must be distributed over various shoulders. It
requires a network of residential, partly residential and private systems of
assistance.’ (105)
* Rigid
structures and the reorganisation of assessments are another issue – in one
contribution seen from the professional point of view: ‘The foremost objective
of the initial assessment team is to offer the client the best and most
appropriate package of care. The service proposed must of course reflect the
wishes of the person receiving care.’ Underlying dimensions of the proposed
process of assessment are ‘1. Clinical, 2. Cognitive, 3. Functional (excluding
mobility), 4. Mobility, 5. Social’ (112) The presented process of
reorganisation is accompanied by a research programme which has the maintenance
of independence of the concerned people as its highest goal.
* Another
approach of maintaining independence is represented by the “respite care” at
the Lasbyhoj Centre in Denmark: The basic idea is that any decisions should be
taken very consciousness. Sometimes it is easy to take a decision but difficult
to reverse it. So, the idea is to provide a framework in which decisions can be
taken in a serious manner. ‘Our aim is then to allow time for deliberatiopn
instead of making an immediate decision to move into a retirement or nursing
home – a decision which cannot be reverse later.’ (120) ‘The following
residential and care options are offered at Lasbyhoj:
-
Rehabilitation after bone fractures
- Mental and physical
re-education for people after illness or broken bones who are psychologically
so depressed that they need more than just rehabilitation.
- Support for
care-giving relatives …
- Acute cases
- And,
optionally, mobile care if a district cannot provide care.’ (121 f.)
* Another
question – closely connected with the debate on customer-orientation – had been
discussed under the perspective of a shift from services to needs. The way this
had been presented shows the difficulties in drawing any kind of border between
rights-based approaches, professional service provision, clientelism and
customer orientation: At the moment, a significant development can be observed
in care for the elderly: the individual needs of the elderly are being taken
into account. An improvement of care services is envisaged – they are to be
easily accessible, efficient, balanced and of a high standard.’ (127)
* An
important, although for most times forgotten issue is the question of equal
opportunities. The respective contribution stresses that the answer on the
question “What is your understanding of equal opportunities” cannot be “It means
treating everyone the same”. Rather ‘it means giving everyone the same chance
to do well, to get on, and to be happy.’ (130) This means as well that it is
important to consider the specific needs and wishes of ‘older people of
different cultural and ethnic backgrounds’ (129).
Much could be
added; many important aspects are discussed as well in the second volume, which
deals with concepts in dementia patient care.
What is
crucial in any case – and with this I want to conclude the review of this
important and inspiring documentation – had been mentioned in the closing
address by Ingrid Hastedt: ‘There is one aspect which was not central to our
discussions, and some people may have actually missed it, and that was the
subject of financing. It was mentioned here and there, and it is a matter of
outstanding importance for everything we want to implement. But before
financing can be established, it is essential to ponder on the efficiency of a
range of services, a concept must exist, a concept must exist to begin with and
it must be understood. It is only when I have understood a concept that I can
transfer it to the conditions prevailing in my country. … I believe that we
first should consider what is meaningful professionally, and then, in a second
step, go on to ask “how is this financially feasible” (116 – volume 2). I think
this statement is a good reference of the conference and a valuable
recommendation for European politicians on the various levels.
Lebensgestaltung und
Unterstützungsbedarf älterer Menschen als Herausforderung für soziale
Dienstleister in Europa. Band 1: Wohnen mit Dienstleistung. Band 2:
Versorgungskonzepte für dementiell Erkrankte. Dokumentation zum Internationalen
Kongress vom Juli 1999
Senior
citizens’ lifestyles and need for support as a challenge for social services
providers in Europe. Volume 1: Housing with services. Volume 2: Concepts in
dementia patient care. Documentation of the first International Congress; July
1999
Organisation de la
vie et les besoins d’assistance des personnes âgées – un défi pour les
prestataires des services sociaux en Europe. Tome 1 : Habitat et
prestations des service. Tome 2 : Concepts d’aide aux patients atteints de
démence. Documentation du Congrès International du Juillet 1999
Stuttgart :
Wohlfahrtswerk für Baden-Wuerttemberg, 2000. ISBN: 3-00-005771-4
contact: Barbara
Steiner. Wohlfahrtswerk für Baden-Wuerttemberg. Postfach 105341. 70046
Stuttgart. Wohlfahrtswerk-pro@t-online.de
URL: http://www.wohlfahrtswerk.de
European Interests
– Europäische Angelegenheiten. Newsletter update 4-2000
Wege in Arbeit –
eine diakonische Politik für Menschen, die es auf dem Arbeitsmarkt schwer haben
Vortrage, Thesen,
Initiativen und Projekte in Bereichen insbesondere der Arbeit mit Arbeitslosen
und Behinderten werden in diesem Band vorgestellt, der von Werner Artmann an
der Diakonie Stetten e.V. herausgegeben ist. Zwar handelt es sich um einen
betont regionalen Ansatz, aber dieser versteht sich gleichwohl ausdrücklich als
“ein Bestandteil der europäischen Sozialpolitik.“ (109) Der Herausgeber weist
in diesem Zusammenhang nicht nur auf die Bedeutung des regionalen Ansatzes im
Rahmen der ESF-Politik; für ihn “(wird) diese Europaausrichtung (...) auch an
einer anderen Stelle deutlich. Die jahrelang ’politisch rivalisierende
Orientierung der Konzeptionen des ESF’ können in guter Weise integriert werden.
Die wirtschaftsorientierte Variante des ESF, die vorrangig an den bestehenden
Arbeitsplätzen in Betrieben der Wirtschaft ansetzt und auf eine Erweiterung
bzw. Erweiterung zur Förderung von Unternehmen eingestellt ist, ist in unserer
Konzeption verbunden mit der zweiten Variante. Diese setzt den Schwerpunkt eher
bei der ’Zielgruppenorientierung’ an und verfolgt demnach die mehr
sozialpolitisch/arbeitsmarktpolitische Entwicklung und hat die von
Langzeitarbeitslosigkeit Benachteiligten und besondere Zielgriuppen der
Arbeitspolitik im Mittelpunkt.“ (109 f.)
Und da ist es eben
nicht zuletzt wichtig, dass der billigste Weg keineswegs der preiswerteste ist:
Denn – wie Gerd Hofheinz und Martin Sperl zu Recht in den Thesen zu ihrem
Arbeitsgruppenbericht feststellen: “Träger der beruflichen Rehabilitation haben
eher Chancen sich zu etablieren, wenn sie solider fachlicher Qualität ihrer
Mitarbeiter oberste Priorität einräumen und nicht versuchen, mit billigen und
noch billigeren Mitarbeitern Kunden über Dumpingpreise zu gewinnen.“ (79)
– Auch dies ist
sicher eine anregende Perspektive auch für den Europäischen Austausch.
Kontakt: Diakonie
Stetten e.V.. Postfach 1240. FRG 71386 Kernen im Remstal
European Interests
– Europäische Angelegenheiten. Newsletter update 4-2000
Alone – but
not isolated. Responding to the communication needs of older people utilising
new technology and older volunteers
This is the
title of a brief trilingual report of a research Study in Six European
Countries. It had been compiled in the framework of the International Year of
Older Persons 1999.
Contacts: ENOV
– European Network of Older Volunteers. C/o RSVP. 237 Pentonville
Rd. London N1 9NJ. United Kingdom. Ph:
+44(0)121.2786601; Telecopie +44.(0)1718338434. e-mail: CSV_RSVP@compuserve.com
European Interests – Europäische
Angelegenheiten. Newsletter update 4-2000
Ausländerrecht,
Ausländergesetz, Asylrecht (nur am Rande) – eine website, die Hilfe bietet
Aus
der Eingangsseite:
’Ausländerrecht,
Ausländergesetz, Asylrecht (nur am Rande). Hierum soll es hier gehen. Teilweise
werden auch Randgebiete gestreift wie z. B. Menschenrechte,
Staatsangehörigkeitsrecht und allgemeine Rechtsgebiete. Eigentlich geht es nur
darum, von den vielen verstreuten Infos im Datenfriedhof (WWW) einige Perlen
rauszusuchen und ein paar erläuternde Hinweise dazu zu geben. Der Bereich mit
den links enthält schon recht viele gute Zieladressen und wird ständig weiter
ausgebaut. Die links
und das Diskussionsforum dürften wohl die Schwerpunkte der Site werden. Tips
hierzu sind immer willkommen. Weiterer Schwerpunkt ist natürlich – dank Eurer
fleißigen Mitarbeit- das Diskussionsforum.’
Contact: http://www.info4alien.de/
European Interests – Europäische
Angelegenheiten. Newsletter update 4-2000
The Welfare of Europe’s Children – Are EU member states converging? - Review
John Micklewright/Kitty Stewart: The Welfare of Europe’s Children
– Are EU member states converging?; Bristol: Policy Press; Florence: UNICEF
Innocenti Research Centre; 2000. ISBN 1861342268; £ 14.99
‘Our focus is on outcomes and not on policies’ (4) – even if only
mentioned in a footnote this marks the guideline in answering the question if
‘(…) the welfare of children in the Union’s member states (is) becoming more or
less similar over time?’ (1) And perhaps this approach is the answer to a
careful procedure, which respects the diversity and variety of the ever
stressed national peculiarities and developments and the expected common
features of the so-called European Social model. Actually it is this what the
European Council once highlighted as a guideline for European Social Policy –
the title of the respective decision from 1992 speaks of the adjustment of the
aims.
Thus, the question of the book is – intended or not – a reflection of
the official policy and can be taken as guide for an evaluation of success of
failure. Avoiding deciding for one of these two extremes we can state together
with the authors ‘However, despite these difficulties, some clear and robust
results emerge from the analysis. In addition to GDP per capita, there is firm
evidence of convergence (over varying time periods) on five indicators:
* Under-5 mortality
* Child traffic death rates
* Education expenditure as a
share of GDP
* Enrolment in education at 16
* Life satisfaction
Of the remaining five indicators, three show divergence:
* Child poverty rates
* Worklessness among households
with children
* Youth unemployment as a share
of the cohort
And two show stagnation in terms of disparities:
* Male youth suicide rates
* Teenage fertility rates.’
This paragraph, [resenting at the same time the indicators with which the
books deals, seems at the first glance a boring summary of a boring book –
simply compiling empirical figures without any flesh on the bones. But this is
a completely wrong impression as a closer look shows.
It is right that the book provides a bulk of empirical material – and
furthermore the figures are discussed in detail including the difficulties of
empirical analysis. Thus fundamental questions as the concepts of measurement
are discussed, e.g. the limitation of comparisons of GDP-focused indicators.
Other concepts as the basic needs approach and the capabilities approach are
said in answering these reductionist views. And briefly the reader learns as
well about the UNDP Human Development reports and their partial neglect of the
situation in industrialised countries. However, ‘the fact that children in
industrialised countries are now protected from many urgent problems affecting
children in poorer parts of the world does not place these children beyond
concern; rather, it means that additional measures of their welfare is needed.
Other issues demand more attention once the basic problems of survival are
overcome. And at the same time, growing wealth brings with it new dangers as
well as new opportunities.’ (6)
Rather than pointing out some more detailed methodological questions
which are very tricky while working within a comparative perspective both in
time and in over nations I want to mention some substantive results of this
study which deals with a group of ‘over a fifth of the total EU population’ (2)
of which is said ‘that the nature of children’s progress to becoming tomorrow’s
adults helps determine the shape of Europe’s future. Convergence in well-being
across the Union as part of its overall harmonious development” means moving
towards similar opportunities for European children wherever they are born.’
(ibid.)
One of these fundamental substantial questions is for example the
question of mortality rates – even in the so-called developed countries this is
still an issue of concern. Even if this rate developed positively in the
younger age groups the ‘trends in the death rate for the oldest age group ‘
results in ‘some notable re-ranking within the league table.’ (37) While
problems of infectious diseases could largely be solved ‘the majority of deaths
among older groups are related to behaviour, making interventions harder to
determine and to implement. Furthermore, these behavioural issues have
themselves grown in size with economic development, which has brought with it a
rise of motorised transport and, often, increased violence and the breakup of
traditional social networks.’ (38) – the price of progress, and a high price,
if we look at the figures of child accidents and suicide.
And the debate on child accidents show that even the attempts of preventions
run partly against the intentions. Some evidence is given to the fact that
success is paid by the limitation of children’s freedom. – In simple economic
terms it is like an inflationary accumulation of prices.
There are so many other results – shocking at times, even if live is not
always fundamentally threatened. For example the fact that the “improvement” of
education – measured in the number of the enrolment of older children – is in
many cases nothing else then hidden youth unemployment is not encouraging in
regard of the new strategy, as it had been earmarked of the recent summit in
Lisbon. And in regard of the book, which is under review here, it is gratifying
that it goes beyond the question of simply reporting some figures. Even if
respective data can hardly be found the authors discuss briefly some output
measures, as they are partly indicated by the Third International Mathematics
and Science Study. It is simply not sufficient to invest in education if the
qualitative aspect and the use, which can be and is made of the availed
knowledge are neglected.
The tricky character of the questions concerned can be shown as well by
the discussion of teenage fertility. This rate is particularly high in the UK
while for instance in Denmark and Sweden this rate is relatively low. However,
‘when abortions and births are added together
… there is some re-ranking of countries. In particular, the Scandinavian
countries, and especially Denmark and Sweden, rank much less well on conception
rates than on birth rates: more than half of teen pregnancies in both countries
end in abortion, and it is high levels of abortions rather than contraception
which is keeping birth rates down.’ (72)
The wealth of empirical material and the far-reaching discussion of
qualitative matters, which are connected with them make it easy to ignore a
minor fault in one expression. Recurring on a EUROBAROMETER-survey the authors
point on the satisfaction of children and young people – and actually the
results are neither bad in time nor in respect of the member states. But then,
the authors use the term of well-being rather than satisfaction or
well-feeling. And this is something we never should forget: The well-being is
both more and less than satisfaction.
Even if already many arguments in favour of the book had been brought
forward one point is worthwhile to be added: The appendix provides the reader
with a detailed record of the sources – not just mentioned as references but as
well as sources for own and further studies (in some cases including the
pathways for access via Internet).
To be ordered @ Marston Book Services, PO Box 269,Abingdon,Oxon OX14
4YN.
As well of interest in this context:
Helmut Wintersberger: Work viewed from a Childhood Perspective; in:
European Observatory on Family Matters: Family Observer. 18 – 24; Luxembourg:
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1999
Save the Children Europe Group: Children, Economics and the EU – towards
child-friendly policies. Including an introduction by S. de Vylder and the
views of children and young people; Stockholm: Save the Children Sweden
Publishing,
This book and further materials which can be obtained from the Save the
children Sweden via
http://www.childrightsbookshop.org/
A Website full of sources and helpful to
establish contacts: http://www.rb.se/economics
Another point of interest:
|
|
|
The Advertising Education Forum (AEF) is a non-profit organisation for all parties interested in issues relating to advertising and children in Europe.
AEF provides academic and scientific data on advertising and children and serves as a centre for research on the issue.
Contact: http://www.aeforum.org/
Kinderarmut in Deutschland. SOS Dialog. Fachmagazin des SOS-Kinderdorf e.V.
1999. Hrsg.: Sozialpaedagogisches Institut im SOS-Kinderdorf e.V.
SPI-Redaktion: Reinhard Rudeck/Gabriele Vierzigmann.
’Es
gibt Kinderarmut in Deutschland. Wer die Augen vor dieser Tatsache
verschliesst, nimmt in Kauf, dass sich Kinder zurueckgedraengt, abgewertet und
ausgeschlossen fuehlen. Arme Kinder und Jugendliche haben keinen Zugang zu
Dingen, die die Menschen um sie herum als selbstverstaendlich betrachten. Die
Teilnahme an unserem Gemeinwesen ist ihnen nur unter erschwerten Bedingungen
möglich, und wir sollten uns nicht darüber wundern, wenn sie irgendwann daran
keinen Anteil mehr nehmen wollen.’ (Reinhard Dudeck im Editorial, Seite 5)
European Interests – Europäische Angelegenheiten.
Newsletter update 4-2000
“Alles
unsere Jungs!“
Unter
dem angefuehrten Titel sind Informationen zum Thema Zwischen akzeptierender
und antifaschistischer Jugendarbeit zusammengestellt. Herausgegeben ist die
recht umfangreiche Dokumentation einer Tagung vom Arbeitskreis Zukunft der
PDS-Bundestagsfraktion, die im Oktober 1999 inBerlin stattfand.
Kontakt: cielinski@bt.pds-online.de
European Interests – Europäische
Angelegenheiten. Newsletter update 4-2000
Beijing + 5
Beijing plus 5 is the short formula for a follow-up meeting in New York after five years since the World conference in Beijing. The conference in June 2000, aiming on the review and the assessment of activities since the first world women’s conference had been prepared not only via the official channels. Of utmost – and surely lasting – importance are alternative reports as for example the one for Ireland. This states: ‘Overall, the assessment indicates that in the five years since the Platform for Action was signed by the Irish government, there has been some progress in ensuring women’s rights. Progress, however, has been slow and piece-meal, with no visible changes at all in some areas. Severe discrimination continues to be experienced by specific groups of women, including lone mothers, minority ethnic women, women with disabilities, lesbians and homeless women. Women are now more likely than men to be living in poverty or zt rtisk of poverty, especially older women and lone mothers, yet there is no signiuficant strategy to combat women’s poverty.’ (4)
In a way it can be said that the price for the progress, which had been made is an increasing segregation and a widening gap between winners and losers. It is up to the reader to draw own conclusions in regard of the gender question and the class question.
Alternative report for ireland. Beijing +
5; Women’s NGO Beijing Coalition (Including National Women’s Council of Ireland,
Banúlacht, Amnesty International, Women’s Aid, Women’s International League for
Peace and Freedom, Aontas/WENDI, National Youth Council of Ireland and WERRC.
Compiled and Written by Susan McNaughton, May 2000
The regional alternative report for the
European Union can be found on the website of the European Women’s Lobbwo
(EWL): http://www.womenlobby.org/en/action/projets/pkrapport.html#Introduction
European Interests – Europäische
Angelegenheiten. Newsletter update 4-2000
Hoffnungen
zum Schluss – oder zu einer Art Neubeginn?
Natürlich
musste im sog. Land der unbegrenzten Möglichkeiten, indem angeblich selbst
Tellerwaeschern eine Karriere zum Praesidenten offensteht, zunächst einmal die
innere Kolonialisierung erfolgen. Dieses Innere wurde aber immer weit gefasst:
Indianer, Menschen mit schwarzer Hautfarbe, Menschen mit jeglicher anderen
Hautfarbe und dann gleichsam ganze Laender wurden als Inneres angesehen und entsprechend
unterjocht. Und da all dies nicht nur kriegerischen ndanderen Gewaltmitteln
erfolgen konnte, setzte man eben auch auf eine andere Interpretation des
Inneren: die Orientierung auf das Innere der Individuen. Und so greift
gleichsam Hand in Hand, wenn mit jener neuen Filiale einer beruehmten
fast-food-Kette ein neuer Hort der Freiheit ausgerufen wird. Und genau dies war
es auch seinezeit inMoskau: Ein gelbes M auf rotem Untergrund war als
Gradmesser für Freiheit angetreten – Hammer, Sichel und Stern waren ueberrollt.
Hoffnung
ist auch in dieser Jetztzeit gegeben – trotz aller Reden von McDonaldisation,
fast-food-Kultur und Ichlingen. Es ist durchaus gerechtfertigt, sich ein wenig
zu wundern – oder es eben zu unterlassen, dass viele solcher Entwicklungen mit
amerikanischen Begriffen (genauer: Amerikanismen) versehen sind und originaere
Begriffe in anderen Sprachen (wie eben Ichlinge) doch sehr fremd anmuten.
Aber
es scheint eben doch noch Hoffnung auf und so gibt es eine International “slow
food“-Bewegung. Vielleicht ist ein solcher Gedanke nicht nur für
Urlaubsrestaurants nuetzlich, sondern auch von einigem Wert für ganz banale
Alltagsangelegenheiten – nicht nur das Alltags-Essen, sondern das Alltags-Sein.
Das wuerde nicht nur Kosten ersparen im Sozialbereich (Krankenbehandlungen re.
Herzinfarkte, Magen-Darm-Erkrankungen etc., aber auch Aufwendungen re
problematischer sozialer Verhaltensweisen), sondern es wuerde auch etwas ganz
Banales bedeuten, nicht auszudruecken in Kosten, Ersparnissen, lang- und kurzfristigen
Profiten. Es wuerde ein mehr an Lebensqualitaet, an Freude am Leben mit sich
bringen.
European Interests – Europäische Angelegenheiten. Newsletter update 4-2000
Masthead + Copyright note
© The electronic newsletter European
Interests is compiled by the Independent Research Institute European Social,
Organisational and Science Consultancy, Aghabullogue, Ireland and offered free
of charge. If you received this message not via a mailing list and want to
cancel the subscription please send a brief note by e-mail to the Institute at esosc@esosc.org. Of course, it is for everybody in the same
way possible to be added to the mailing list to receive a note when the
newsletter is updated. Please use this e-mail-address esosc@esosc.org as well for any substantial comments and
queries. For any technical questions in regard of the newsletter (despite
subscription – see above) please send mails to the webmaster.
If not stated otherwise: Peter Herrmann.
European Social, Organisational and Science Consultancy. The Jasnaja Poljana.
Clonmoyle. Aghabullogue. County Cork. Ireland. Ph.: +353.(0)21.7334833 or
+353.(0)87.2303335; FAX: +353.(0)21.7334826 or +353.(0)87.52303335.
Reproduction is welcomed and a copy, sent to the Institute appreciated.
European Interests – Europäische
Angelegenheiten. Newsletter update 4-2000
Impressum
+ Urheberrechts-Notiz
©
Das elektronische Mitteilungsblatt Europäische Angelegenheiten ist ein
kostenloses Angebot des Unabhängigen Forschungsinstituts European Social,
Organisational and Science Consultancy. Wenn Sie eine
Aktualisierungs-Mitteilung nicht über eine mailing-list erhalten haben, können
Sie jederzeit das Abo kündigen. Eine kurze Mitteilung per e-mail an die Adresse
esosc@esosc.org reicht. Auf eben diesem Wege ist natürlich
auch für jeden möglich, um Subskription zu bitten. Eine kurze Nachricht an esosc@esosc.org reicht und wir senden Ihnen jeweils eine kurze
Aktualisierungs-Mitteilung zu. Bitte benutzen Sie diese Andresse esosc@esosc.org ebenfalls für jegliche inhaltliche Fragen und
Anmerkungen. Für jegliche technische Fragen und Probleme bitten wir Sie, die Adresse des webmasters zu
verwenden (cc an das Institut erbeten).
Soweit
nicht anders angegeben: Peter Herrmann. European Social, Organisational
and Science Consultancy. The Jasnaja Poljana. Clonmoyle. Aghabullogue. County
Cork. Irland. Ph.: +353.(0)21.7334833 or
+353.(0)87.2303335; FAX: +353.(0)21.7334826 or +353.(0)87.52303335. Abdruck
ist erlaubt unter der Bedingung der Quellenangabe. Die Zusendung eines
Belegexemplars wird gerne gesehen.