Brieflywrite about social work in a ‘Postmodern Society’.

Social Work in a ‘Postmodern’ Society: Postmodern society is a period of more uncertainty than the modern period. Globalization has led to interdependence of countries. The structure of social welfare and social services had also been developed accordingly. Globalization has been like colonization of local cultures and customs for many countries outside Europe and North America. For them, it has been a type of Westernization or Americanization.

Globalization has led to an increase in relations across social, political, cultural and economic borders. National identification became less significant for countries. It has both positive and negative aspects. For example, some are against ‘McDonaldization’ or ‘Coca-Colonization’ of consumption’, while others welcome growing audiences for world sports and music, and wider appreciations of foods or dress habits.

Pugh and Gould have noted several predominant themes in post-modern period. They include:

(i) Global forces have become omnipotent 

(ii) Globalization has historical uniqueness

(iii) The power of nation-states eroded

(iv) Fragmentation of arrangements previously made

(v) Adverse impacts on the economic security and general living standards, and

(vi) Competitiveness led to reduction in expenditure on welfare measures. 

Kim (2007), who studied a broader period in the European development of social welfare, observed that policies and services are driven by socio-economic factors as well as political environments in which they take place.

In democratic regimes, social insurance programs are more sustainable as compared to authoritarian or autocratic regimes. In a democracy, leaders respond to the needs of the electorate to protect their interest. Bismarck’s Germany is an exception where a dictatorship institutionalized social welfare. The regime used social insurance to counter labour militancy and control the labour movement. Bismarck compromised with labour leaders on universal male suffrage and social insurance programmes. 

Kim believed that the ruling elites would change their political institutions if there was a high level of threat from society. Bismarck realized that compromising with radical leaders would ultimately weaken their political capacity. Keeping in view similar set of factors, Pugh and Gould suggested that a primarily economic model based an oversimplified view of globalization is antagonistic to social responsibility because it always leads to increased social costs. 

On social work and social work education, Cree says that we confront with numerous risks, where besides globalization and the information explosion there are many other factors driving change. We feel insecure and vulnerable because of the speed at which change is happening. The postmodern experience is like a replay of changes compelled by past upheavals.     

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