Background

Welfare state principles are changing, social policies are becoming more neoliberal, and economic logic is gaining ground. As a result, social work is facing precarious conditions and a shortage of skilled professionals. The rise of right-wing authoritarian and anti-democratic thinking and action—both across Europe and globally—further amplifies this trend. A de-professionalization of social work is the result (i.e., weakening structures, reducing competencies, and limiting professional autonomy), even though internationally recognized theoretical and ethical standards stand against such inhumane and inequality-promoting positions. The current study takes up this mantle and investigates far-right influence on social work in the EU member states Germany, Austria, and Hungary. It compares the situation across these countries, taking into account the specific welfare state context of each.

Research Questions

The study intends to answer the following key questions:

• How does far-right influence impact on social work in Germany, Austria, and Hungary?
• What changes are occurring in the welfare state architecture and in the social policy measures that frame and govern social work at the national level??
• Where does de-professionalization become apparent and in what ways are democratic participation rights of social work professionals affected by it?
• Do social work professionals recognize far-right influences in their everyday practice and do they explicitly address it?
• What approaches, counter-strategies, and institutional responses are being developed within the profession (e.g., by professional associations, advocacy organizations, and civil society actors) to resist far-right interference?

Methodology

The projects teams perform case studies on how the far-right is reshaping social work in Germany, Austria, and Hungary. A mixed-methods design is applied. It rests on three key pillars: 1) An online survey, 2) interviews with social work professionals, and 3) an analysis of parliamentary documents.

Aims and Outcomes

• Generating systematic knowledge on the ways, scope, and intensity of far-right influence on discourses, institutions, and practices in social work.
• Developing a model to compare how far-right policies play out in the countries of the project partners.
• Designing a modular continuing education curriculum based on the project results.
• Raising awareness of the issue among professional associations and interest groups.
• Defining minimum standards and a framework for potential courses of action.