The Role of State, Power, and Politics in Social Work Management Education in Germany

Abstract

Abstract Social work managers do not only have to acquire leadership and entrepreneurial knowledge and competencies, but they must also possess skills such as ethical reasoning, citizenship, sustainability, and global awareness, all linked to the role of the state, its sociopolitical and ideological underpinnings, and existing power relations and social policy. This raises the question of how such skills are implemented in current social work management curricula. The purpose of this chapter is to present the results of an analysis of curricula, pedagogy, and teaching practices in social work management courses in Germany. After describing the German welfare system, its sociopolitical and ideological foundations, different theoretical models of economic behavior, and the power dynamics in social work institutions are discussed from a critical management perspective. Then the historical evolution of the academic discipline of social work management is briefly described. The central focus is then on a document-based and systematic analysis of the curricula, pedagogy, and teaching practices in German social work management programs at under- and postgraduate levels. The findings emphasize the constant need to develop the study programs’ learning outcomes, content, and teaching and learning methodologies. The chapter concludes with implications for future research and development.

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