Transcript Chapter 3: Global Context Dimensions

Chapter 3: Global Context
Dimensions
1: The Social Problem
2: Organizational
3: Ideological
4: Policy Dimensions
Global Social Problems
1. Poverty—infant mortality, malnutrition, and
vulnerability (1 out of 3 of the world’s people
lives in poverty)
2. Children—50% of the world’s children affected
by poverty or the AIDS’s epidemic (UNICEF
report)
3. Women—what is feminization of poverty?
Arranged marriages, female genital mutilation,
not able to own property, can’t access credit or
inherit, acceptance of wife beatings, rape w/in
marriage, etc.
Global Social Problems
(Continued)
4. Extent of Conflict—inability of nations to live in
peace (wars)
5. Natural Disasters and ecological degradation
have greater impact on poor people because
they live on areas susceptible to problems and
housing quality.
6. Uneven Development of Nations—200 nationstates remain “least developed” and some are
considered “failed states” because governance
is not adequate to provide the basis for
development.
Global Social Problems
(Continued)
7. Uneven Impact of Most Global Problems–
Countries are vulnerable and development is
held back because of their geographical
location is remote, landlocked, and island
states.
90% of the global population growth are in the
poor parts of the world
8. Displacement and Forced Migration of People
is due to the consequence of poverty, social
conflicts, natural disasters, ecological
degradation, and low levels of development.
Global Social Problems
(Continued)
9. HIV/AIDS Epidemic and other health issues
viewed as the greatest shock to development
killing more than 22 Million including key
groups like teachers in Africa (Zambia lost
1,300 in one year). TB=2M/yr; Malaria=1M/yr
Global Social Problems
(Continued)
10. Global Social Work—why should social
workers be aware?
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1. Major social problems determine the global
agendas like the millennium development goals
from the United Nations Development Program
(UNDP) and where social workers will work (area of
work and geography).
2. Social work in any developing country will be
affected by these global concerns.
Global Social Problems
(Continued)
10.
Global Social Work—why should social
workers be aware?
– 3. social workers have an obligation to contribute to
the evolution of global policies and programs such as
case data on child abductions.
– 4. understanding global problem will assist in better
analysis for the solution/intervention.
– 5. network of agencies and conventions (NGOs,
international reports, networks, international
agencies etc.) working on global problems means a
wide range of resources for social workers who work
in the field—if social workers are aware of the global
issues.
The Organizational Context
• International Organizations are referred to as the
international community. Main categories of
organizations:
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1.national governments and agencies (p.55)
2.intergovernmental agencies like European Union
3.UN system
4.Corporations
5.international nongovernment organizations
6.social, labor,& religious movements & cultural
associations.
The Organizational Context
(Continued)
• National Govt’s and Agencies have power
to pursue their national interests through
international and foreign aid departments.
They can also have poor governance and
displace populations (refugees, illegal
immigration). Q on pg. 57: Does the
importance of sovereign state take
precedence over protection of human
rights, poverty, ecological issues?
The Organizational Context
(Continued)
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Intergovt’l Agencies established by groups of Nations like European/African Union
develop common policies and currency to promote global security and well-being.
United Nations System plays major role in the global economic and social
development—like the world bank with loans to developing countries but they have to
adopt western ideologies of free trade.
http://www.stwr.org/imf-world-bank-trade/key-facts.html
“IMF/World Bank conditions, known as "structural adjustment programs“ (SAPs)
(though the institutions are trying to escape that term's negative reputation by
changing the name to "poverty reduction and growth programs") generally implement
"free market" programs and policy. These programs include internal changes (notably
privatization and deregulation) as well as external ones, especially the reduction of
trade barriers. Countries which fail to enact these programs may be subject to severe
fiscal discipline. Critics argue that financial threats to poor countries amount to
blackmail, and that poor nations have no choice but to comply.
In addition, the SAPs divert funds away from social and welfare services (such and
health and education) as governments must instead prioritize loan repayments. This
is seen to block achievement of the UN's Millennium Development Goals.”
The Organizational Context
(Continued)
• Chapter IX of the United Nations charter
addresses international economic and
social cooperation and the promotion of
higher standards of living, full employment,
solutions to economic, social, health &
educational issues and universal respect
for human rights related to race, gender,
language and religion.
The Organizational Context
(Continued)
• Transnational (TNCs) and Multinational (MNCs)
corporations are private for-profit; control 70% of
world trade; dominate areas of production,
distribution and sale of many goods from
developing countries; 44 of the 100 largest
corporations have US headquarters. Int’l Social
workers tend to dismiss this sector as irrelevant
to their work or injurious to the countries and the
people. Need to influence TNCs agendas by
increasing their awareness of social problems
and cooperate with them.
The Organizational Context
(Continued)
• International Nongovernmental Agencies (INGOs)
• Red Cross founded in 1863 but many Christian
organizations, medical associations (AMA), Jewish
Welfare agencies.
• House of Mercy 1400s
• Govt’s and the UN pursue their goals through NGOs and
the NGOs have become dependent on external formal
funding sources and compete with each other for
funding. Quality of the work from the NGOs varies due to
funding, staff capabilities, poor program design and
management, or inexperience in the field.
The Organizational Context
(Continued)
• Global Civil Society: “Globalization from below”
is an example of grassroots movements that
concern themselves with the “environment,
human rights, women’s issues, sustainable
development, peace, justice, literacy, and
liberation from oppression.
• The advocates of "globalization from above"
have told workers, communities and countries
that the benefits of globalization would improve
their lives if they accepted the free-market
policies promulgated by the Internt’l Monetary
Fund (IMF), World Bank and the WTO.
The Ideological Context
• Definition of ideology— “systems of thought and belief by
which individuals and groups explain how their social
system operates and what principles it exemplifies” p.
65.
• Review Table 3.1 (p. 66) of liberalism, nationalism, and
Marxism/Communism
• Schools of Thought about these ideologies:
– 1. competing ideologies of political economy divide humanity
– 2. focusing on a particular ideology is a danger to the global
community so they add feminism or green ideologies
– 3. opposition to the current ideologies by such movements as
anti-capitalism, anti-globalization, anti-free trade & antitransnational corporations
– 4. type of global ideological thinking focuses on
humanitarianism, human rights, religious ideologies, etc.
The Ideological Context
(Continued)
• Economic Neo-liberalism and
Neoconservative Wing—the New Right—
not for public interest per se but to defend
institutions and interests of the wealthy
p.69. key elements=deregulation; free
trade without govt. subsidies or controls;
limiting state power and placing
responsibility on communities;
individualism; negative view of welfare
state
International Social Work and the
Ideological Context
• Worker’s Own Ideological Position—their
baggage, cultural background, motivation?
• Local People’s Perceptions of Western
Ideology—anger, suspicion, frustration, lack of
trust—leading to not accepting workers from the
western world.
• Worker’s reactions to relevant institutional
ideologies—workers in conflict with the ideology
of the agency. Should the worker leave the
agency or accept the ideology?
Policy Dimensions
• International Law- social workers need to be
aware of international law of the General
Assembly (GA) of the UN (e.g. International
Court of Justice).
• Global Economic Policy—Determined by global
organizations and Institutions like the policies
imposed by the International Financial
Institutions. Some states drive the global
economic policy and others are subjugated to
the policies.
• Global Social Policy—includes globalization
issues of both social and environmental
Global Policy and Int’l Social Work
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Custody disputes across borders
International Adoption Work
Corrections Work
Poverty Alleviation
Unemployment
Human Rights with Indigenous People
Ecological or Environmental Work