No, climate action can't be separated from social justice

an article by Julian Brave NoiseCat for the Guardian

Elites who divorce climate policy from social justice are almost as out of touch as those who deny climate science altogether


Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks about the Green New Deal at Howard University. The Democratic congresswoman says adequately addressing climate change would cost at least $10tn. Photograph: Cliff Owen/AP

If you set aside Republicans’ obsession with cow farts, perhaps the most prevalent criticism of the Green New Deal is its emphasis on social justice. Critics contend that the far-reaching climate agenda is far too concerned with extraneous issues such as jobs, infrastructure, housing, healthcare and civil and indigenous rights. Stick to greenhouse gases, they say; reforming the energy system is utopian enough.

Continue reading

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Where fairness fails: data, algorithms, and the limits of antidiscrimination discourse

an article by Anna Lauren Hoffmann (The Information School, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA) published in Information, Communication & Society Volume 22 Issue 7 (2019)

Abstract

Problems of bias and fairness are central to data justice, as they speak directly to the threat that ‘big data’ and algorithmic decision-making may worsen already existing injustices. In the United States, grappling with these problems has found clearest expression through liberal discourses of rights, due process, and antidiscrimination.

Work in this area, however, has tended to overlook certain established limits of antidiscrimination discourses for bringing about the change demanded by social justice.

1. In this paper, I engage three of these limits:an overemphasis on discrete ‘bad actors’,
2. single-axis thinking that centers disadvantage, and
3. an inordinate focus on a limited set of goods.

I show that, in mirroring some of antidiscrimination discourse’s most problematic tendencies, efforts to achieve fairness and combat algorithmic discrimination fail to address the very hierarchical logic that produces advantaged and disadvantaged subjects in the first place.

Finally, I conclude by sketching three paths for future work to better account for the structural conditions against which we come to understand problems of data and unjust discrimination in the first place.

Full text (PDF 17pp)

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Conflict resolution in community development: Are the benefits worth the costs?

an article by Cristina Asenjo Palma (University of Edinburgh, Scotland) published in Critical Social Policy Volume 39 Issue 2 (May 2019)

Abstract

In the UK, conflict resolution strategies have become increasingly popular within community development practice. Conflict resolution has been used to prevent homelessness, tackle neighbourhood disputes, address family conflict, facilitate community involvement, address discrimination and reduce anti-social behaviour.

The promise of conflict resolution is that confidential and informal processes of ‘justice from below’ might better reconcile community interests, improve relationships and promote social change. Within the field of community development, these promises have been widely vaunted.

However, outside community development, conflict resolution has been subject to extensive criticism.

This article draws upon debates in legal scholarship to discuss four criticisms in particular: that conflict resolution disadvantages vulnerable groups, undermines social justice, suppresses legitimate grievances and mistreats public issues as private problems. It then considers these criticisms in relation to community development practice and explores potential solutions.

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From sustainable urbanism to climate urbanism

an article by Joshua Long (Southwestern University, USA) and Jennifer L Rice (University of Georgia, USA) published in Urban Studies Volume 56 Issue 5 (April 2019)

Abstract

As the negative impacts of climate change become increasingly apparent, many city leaders and policymakers have begun to regard climate action as both a fiscal challenge and strategic economic opportunity. However, addressing the increasingly evident threats of climate change in the neoliberal, post-financial-crisis city raises several questions about its equitable implementation.

This paper suggests that the prioritisation of a specific mode of climate resilient urban development represents a departure from the previous decades’ movement toward sustainable urbanism.

We refer to this new development paradigm as ‘climate urbanism’, a policy orientation that

1. promotes cities as the most viable and appropriate sites of climate action and
2. prioritises efforts to protect the physical and digital infrastructures of urban economies from the hazards associated with climate change.

We argue that the potential social justice impacts of climate urbanism have not been fully interrogated. Certainly, cities are appropriate sites for addressing climate change, but in the current neoliberal context, the transition from policy rhetoric to climate action presents a potentially problematic landscape of inequality and injustice.

With that in mind, this paper offers a critical lens to evaluate the merits of climate urbanism and to interrogate its potential outcomes.

Developing career capabilities in “NEET” young people: experiences of participants in the Prince’s Trust team programme

an article by Peter J Robertson (Edinburgh Napier University, UK) published in British Journal of Guidance & Counselling Volume 46 Issue 6 (2018)

Abstract

This qualitative study focuses on the impact of a supportive 12-week programme intended to empower young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) to pursue life-career goals of their own choosing.

The programme is viewed through the conceptual lens of the Capability Approach of Amartya Sen, an approach to social justice that stresses the power to make and implement lifestyle choices.

Fourteen young people who attended the Prince’s Trust team programme were interviewed. Their accounts of their experience of the programme were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Participants found the programme to be a positive confidence-building experience, and it enabled them to deploy their existing resources in pursuit of a personally meaningful goal.

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Can Social Workers Fight for Social Justice?

a post by Career Geek for his/her blog



Social workers are the ultimate altruistic professionals. They work long hours for little pay with the goal of making other people’s lives better. Studies on American society have found that at least one in 10 Americans rely heavily on social workers, making their efforts essential to the success of America as a whole.

Inherently, social workers work for social justice; they are devoting their lives to improving others’. However, many social workers want to do more to change the system that disadvantages not only social workers but also their clients. In short, some social workers want to become social justice warriors.

Unfortunately, many social workers are employed by the government, and thus, they feel uncomfortable (or in some states are directly prohibited from) speaking directly about their interest in perpetuating social change.

Continue reading [noting that the suggestions are aimed towards social workers in the USA]

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Goals for algorithmic genies

an article by Hassan Masum (Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation, University of Waterloo, Canada) and Mark Tovey (Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration, Western University, Canada) published in First Monday Volume 23 Number 2 (February 2018)

Abstract

Algorithmic genies built from growing computational capabilities bring risks like automating well-paying jobs, yet we suggest that if supplied with suitable goals and supporting infrastructure they can help in meeting many human needs. We argue that algorithmic genies can be harnessed to raise the baseline experience of people worldwide (raising the floor), especially if such harnessing is informed by wide consensus and deep evidence.

Examples show how algorithmic genies could raise the floor for widely agreed human needs like health, education, and other components of the Social Progress Index.

Ensuring that both the least well off and the majority share in the benefits of progress can help to ensure the floor is raised for all (floored progress). Floored progress can apply beyond basic human needs to problems that people across the economic spectrum struggle with (shared floors).

We include three tables with illustrative opportunities, and conclude by summarizing the value of raising floors individually and in concert.

Full text (HTML)

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Heading Upstream: Barnsley's Innovations for Social Justice

an article by Simon Duffy published by the Centre for Welfare Reform October Newsletter

For more than 12 years Barnsley Council has been quietly pressing ahead with a series of interconnected reforms whose purpose has been to transform the relationship of local government with local people. Even while austerity has savaged local government funding, Barnsley Council has persisted with this strategy: to advance social justice, not through public services or privatisation, but by giving citizens, families and local communities more power and control over their own destinies.

This report is an independent perspective on the nature and meaning of these reforms. The report argues that the only sustainable future for local government that is consistent with social justice is one where the rights and responsibilities of citizens are made central. Barnsley has already demonstrated that:

• Local people and employers can help people find work better than the privatised providers who have been parachuted into local communities by Whitehall
• Local families can be empowered to organise more effective health and social care for themselves if they are given clear entitlements and the right kind of support
• Local people can improve their own communities, if local government works in partnership with them and focus more on the smaller communities where people live

Not only does the report document some of the important progress made, it also brings together important sources of information to demonstrate that:

• Local government and poorer communities have been the primary target of central government cuts
• Resources and power are centralised in London and in other non-accountable bodies
• The current distribution of resources severely disadvantages proud Northern towns like Barnsley
• There is an enormous reservoir of citizen capacity within our communities, which can be galvanised by the kinds of strategies developed in Barnsley

Barnsley is not alone in trying to develop a socially just response to austerity and in trying to develop a positive role for local government in the twenty-first century. However its quiet long-term commitment to the values of citizenship and community are striking and the results very impressive. Moreover, when you examine the detail of its achievements then serious questions are raised about current talk of devolution:

• Will devolution really offer any meaningful change?
• Will power be shifted to local communities or simply to large regional bodies?
• Will the overall financial settlement continue to be so radically unfair and biased against the North of England?
• What constitutional protections will protect the rights of citizens and the coherence of any emerging structures?

Everyone is agreed that the England needs to become much less centralised. Paying attention to the learning from Barnsley offers insight into what is possible, but also the grave obstacles in our way.

Read the full report (PDF 91pp)

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Training in Mental Health Recovery and Social Justice in the Public Sector

Erika R. Carr, Rebecca Miller and Allison N. Ponce (Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA) and Ranjit Bhagwat (Samuel S. Stratton V.A. Medical Center, Albany, NY, USA) published in The Counseling Psychologist Volume 42 Number 8 (November 2014)

Abstract

Individuals who experience serious mental illness (SMI) frequently encounter stigma and disenfranchisement. Attention to this concern necessitates a social justice focus within the mental health field.

This article explores the significance and critical foundations of a psychology training experience grounded in a social justice and recovery-oriented perspective to answer the call for a focus on social justice and empowerment for individuals with SMI in mental health recovery.

A specific training program is highlighted as an example of how social justice and recovery-oriented psychology training can be conducted. It includes theoretical foundations, trainee and supervision factors, a training model, and a description of didactic, clinical, consultation, interdisciplinary, and recovery-initiative training experiences. Last, specific successes and challenges of this type of training experience, as well as recommendations for future program development, are shared.

Hazel’s comment
I wasn’t sure about the relevance of this article to this blog but thought “what the heck” and included it anyway.

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Widening participation aims and outcomes

an article by Kate Hoskins (University of Roehampton, UK) published in Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning Volume 14 Number 3 (Winter 2012/13)

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of New Labour’s policy initiative to widen participation, and considers the consequences this policy has had for four non-traditional students, that is, ‘students from under-represented groups’ (Medway et al., 2003:3).

As a result of widening participation policy, a broader range of higher education institutions (HEIs) have actively sought to enrol larger numbers of those they have historically tended to exclude: the working classes, women, mature students, those from minority ethnic groups and those with disabilities (Burns, Sinfield and Holley, 2006). The shift in emphasis away from Access programmes as a route into higher education for those traditionally excluded to the New Labour government push for widening participation across the sector has reshaped higher education, raising questions about what and who higher education is for.

Drawing on semi-structured interviews with four white, male working-class students attending a new ‘post-1992’ university, this paper considers their attempt to access educational capital and some of the struggles and challenges they have encountered in the process.

The paper asks if changes to education (such as widening participation ostensibly as part of a move to increase social justice) changed the status quo, giving voice, stake and power to those traditionally excluded from those realms.

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Why joy in education is an issue for socially just policies

an article by Morwenna Griffith (University of Edinburgh, UK) published in Journal of Education Policy Volume 27 Issue 5 (September 2012)

Abstract

The paper presents an argument that the usual account of social justice in formal education is too narrow. That account concerns itself only with the outcomes of education or only with general ethical precepts, such as ‘recognition’.

I argue that it should also concern itself with living educational experiences as part of what makes a good life.

I begin by noting that people find value in education for three linked but analytically separable reasons which I label: instrumental, inherent and integral.

The last of these focuses on the value of education as part of what it is to live a good life.

I point out how the usual accounts of social justice in education are seldom concerned with specifically educational experiences within formal education and that there is little clarity about the contribution of such experiences to living a good life.

I offer a provisional account of specifically educational goods in experiences of education, and compare this to research and policy on enjoyment and engagement concluding that the significance of joy in education should be recognised within education policy.

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The importance of teaching: pedagogical constraints and possibilities in working-class schools

an article by Ruth Lupton (Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, London School of Economics) and Amelia Hempel-Jorgensen (Institute of Education, University of London) published in Journal of Education Policy Volume 27 Issue 5 (September 2012)

Abstract

This paper starts from the propositions that (a) pedagogy is central to the achievement of socially just education and (b) there are existing pedagogical approaches that can contribute to more socially just outcomes.

Given the ostensible commitments of the current English Government to reducing educational inequality and to the importance of teaching, we set out to explore the conditions that would need to be put in place to enable these approaches to be developed and sustained consistently in disadvantaged schools in England.

We start by analysing classroom observation and interview data from four primary schools with contrasting socio-economic composition, highlighting the different pedagogical practices that emerge in working- and middle-class schools and also in working-class schools in different circumstances.

Interviews with pupils show the impact of these practices on learner identities. We then draw on a variety of literatures on school composition, markets, leadership and teacher identities to present an account of the ways in which these different pedagogies are consciously or unconsciously produced.

We point to systemic constraints:

• a mismatch between student demands and organisational capacity;
• teachers’ attitudes and professional identities; and
• performative pressures on school leaders.

All of these suggest the need for fundamental reforms to educational purposes and system architecture, rather than the naïve reliance on teacher agency to transform educational outcomes. Nevertheless, the current policy environment in England does offer some possibilities for action and we close the paper with some suggestions about ways in which capacity for more socially just pedagogy could be built within English schools.

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What would a socially just education system look like?: saving the minnows from the pike

an article by Diane Reay (University of Cambridge, UK) published in Journal of Education Policy Volume 27 Issue 5 (September 2012)

Abstract

This paper first draws on the political philosophy of R.H. Tawney to outline some universal principles for the provision of socially just education.

It then moves on to a more pragmatic approach, analysing where the injustices lie in contemporary British education and outlining policies and practices that are socially just, not in an instrumental neoliberal sense but in terms of more egalitarian social democratic and socialist traditions.

The final section of the paper focuses on Finland as the closest example of a socially just education system, before arguing for a rethinking and reworking of Tawney’s educational thinking for the twenty-first century.

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The geography of stupidity: From where do all the bad ideas come?

an article by Danny Dorling (The University of Sheffield) published in Local Economy Volume 27 Number 5-6 (August/September 2012)

Abstract

The 30-year rule governing the release of Cabinet papers means that the British people only learned of a covert 1980s policy to manage the decline of northern England in early 2012.

We can only guess at what is really being said behind closed doors today.

There are some clues in a series of newspaper reports published in 2012 and in the social backgrounds and professed beliefs of the current Cabinet. They point to what might be the real intention behind reforms in education, health, housing and social security.

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Global citizens: Who are they?

an article by Lorna Bourke, Philip Bamber and Minna Lyons (Liverpool Hope University, UK) published in Education, Citizenship and Social Justice Volume 7 Number 2 (July 2012)

Abstract

A growing desire to instigate global citizenship programmes in higher education has led to the development of optional structured opportunities for students to engage in prosocial activities. One of the challenges facing such programmes is to demonstrate and plan for the personal growth of those students.

This article reports the dispositional, prosocial and attitudinal characteristics; knowledge and skills; and perceptions of social justice that students who undertake these activities bring to their initial participation.

The findings indicate, that in comparison to a control group, the students differ significantly in a number of important ways (for example, conscientiousness, extraversion, openness; Machiavellianism, prosocial behaviour; self-esteem; skills relating to social action and tolerance and understanding and their concern regarding social problems).

However, consideration should be given to the ways in which those students can be developed within a framework for social justice. Further, recruitment procedures for citizenship programmes in general should encourage the participation of a more diverse group of students than currently appears to be the case.

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The political economy of competitiveness and social mobility

an article by Alex Nunn (Leeds Metropolitan University, UK) published in British Politics Volume 7 Issue 2 (June 2012)

Abstract

Social mobility has become a mainstream political and media issue in recent years in the United Kingdom. This article suggests that part of the reason for this is that it can serve as a mechanism to discuss policy concerns that appear to be about social justice without questioning important aspects of neo-liberal political economy.

The article charts the policy rhetoric on social mobility under both New Labour and the current Coalition Government.
It is argued first that under New Labour the apparent commitment to social mobility was in fact subsumed beneath the pursuit of neo-liberal competitiveness, albeit imperfectly realised in policy.
Second, the article suggests that under the Coalition Government the commitment to raising levels of social mobility has been retained and the recently published Strategy for Social Mobility [see update from Office of the DPM April 2012] promises that social mobility is what the Coalition means when it argues that the austerity programme is balanced with ‘fairness’.
Third, however, the Strategy makes clear that the Coalition defines social mobility in narrower terms than the previous government. It is argued here that in narrowing the definition the connection with the idea of competitiveness, while still clearly desirable for the Coalition, is weakened.
Fourth, a brief analysis of the Coalition’s main policy announcements provides little evidence to suggest that even the narrow definition set out in the Strategy is being seriously pursued.
Fifth, the international comparative evidence suggests that any strategy aimed at genuinely raising the level of social mobility would need to give much more serious consideration to narrowing levels of inequality.
Finally, it is concluded that when considered in the light of the arguments above, the Strategy for Social Mobility – and therefore ‘Fairness’ itself – is merely a discursive legitimation of the wider political economy programme of austerity. 

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Social Care in Adult Education …

Resisting a Marketplace Agenda

an article by Nancy Taber (Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada) published in Adult Education Quarterly Volume 61 Number 4 (November 2011)

Abstract

This article describes a research study about the experiences of adult educators in which the stories of three of the participants were central in exploring the issue of social care in adult education. It proposes that the adult educators with a social care orientation in this study acknowledge the importance of, and work to provide for,:

• human needs (e.g., food, shelter, and belonging), 
• care (working from an ethical affective orientation as opposed to a rational justice orientation), and 
• social justice (a power analysis focusing on marginalization and oppression in a capitalist society).

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Strategy of Career Interventions for Battered Women

 an article by Joshua C Collins (Texas A&M University) published in Human Resource Development Volume 10 Number 3 (September 2011)

Abstract

Female victims of domestic violence – also referred to as “battered women” – face serious career development challenges that necessitate the intervention and aid of human resource development (HRD) practice.The purpose of this article is to identify critical factors having an impact on the career development (CD) of battered women and to offer suggestions for how HRD practitioners may begin work to aid battered women in the development of their careers. This article is primarily concerned with career development interventions with battered women who also experience additional economic, educational, or networking hardships. Therefore, the findings of this article should not be considered inclusive of all female victims of domestic violence, but rather the start of an important conversation. The considerations in this article and the interventions suggested herein need testing and development, as do other methods of CD interventions with battered women. The expansion of HRD to include programs for those who have historically been minimized by systems of oppression should be considered a primary concern of current researchers and practitioners.

Hazel’s comment:
Encouraging battered women is wonderful, but so is encouraging anyone in a vulnerable position. It is, however, an ugly fact of life that the most vulnerable in society are much less likely to be employed and will, therefore, not benefit from HR intervention.

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New Labour, communitarianism and citizenship education in England and Wales

an article by Andrew Dunn (University of the West of Scotland) and Diana Burton (Liverpool John Moores University) published in Education, Citizenship and Social Justice Volume 6 Number 2 (July 2011)

Abstract

This article posits a connection between the influence of communitarianism on New Labour’s ideology and the content of citizenship education in England and Wales. We first describe and problematise communitarianism, drawing on both UK and US thinkers, and then relate our findings to literature on citizenship education. We conclude by suggesting that the influence of communitarianism could be researched with teachers of citizenship to illuminate the extent of its practical manifestation.

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Social Entrepreneurs and the Vision to Build the Society with Ethical Sustainability

an article by Ashish Mathur (Lachoo Memorial College of Science & Technology, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India) and Meeta Nihalani (J.N.V. University, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India) published in Information Management and Business Review (Volume 2 Number 4 (April 2011))

Abstract

Social entrepreneurs are related to the issues of social justice and fairness to the society taking the ventures in the public interest. This type of entrepreneurship is related to the promoting the activities on low profit or no profit to benefit the weaker sections in such a way that they are can live a better life. The leadership and decision-making have to be in the interest of society and for the future too.

The world of social entrepreneurship is created by the values of self efficiency with the faith to build an honest world of hope and respect... the basic qualities guiding the social entrepreneurial behaviour to form the business empires depends on the quality of social and moral judgement supported by the social norms. The society in turn supports people who work for the benefit of human survival so that the future is built on the values of sustainability and trust and hope.

The generations to come, need the resources for the growth of the society and civilisation as a whole. They should use them in such a way that they are able to build the source for sustainable management of resources and for the larger benefit of the society.

The basic aim of the paper is to analyse the issues and trends associated with the social fairness and to frame a strategic base for the better design of the social entrepreneurship variables.

The basic objective of this paper is to identify and build the entrepreneurship abilities that shape the social entrepreneurial behaviour.

Full text (PDF 8pp)

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