Exposed to user involvement: Active citizen or ‘practical pig’? User perspectives on involvement in social work
Abstract
Involvement of citizens in the development of welfare services is today a prioritized
approach in public management. From a citizen perspective, this article
unfolds involvement as a phenome in co-production with vulnerable citizens
in social work. With this perspective, the article contributes the existing
literature with a varied understanding of citizen involvement from a bottomup
perspective. From a theoretical typology of involvement, this study takes
empirically departure in three cases at drop-in centres that represent different
degrees of user involvement and different user roles. The analysis identifies
involvement as three dimensions: Influence, Social participation and Practical
involvement. These three dimensions describe and characterize the citizens’
experiences and what they gain by participating. The analysis points out, that
it is not the type of involvement that is most important, but the vulnerability
of the participants that decide whether they experience and prioritize to get
influence, develop social relations or produce practical assignments and develop
practical capabilities. In the concluding discussion, it is discussed how
the understanding of the citizens’ vulnerability and respect of their perspectives
in social work practice can contribute to a differentiated type of involvement
that in a higher degree will ensure inclusion of vulnerable citizens in
the development of social initiatives and coproduction and network society.
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