Communicative Legitimacy: Habermas and Democratic Welfare Work

101 Pages·2020·1.628 MB·English

by  Anita Kihlström

Communicative
Legitimacy
Habermas and
Democratic Welfare Work
Anita Kihlström
Communicative Legitimacy
Anita Kihlström
Communicative
Legitimacy
Habermas and Democratic Welfare Work
Anita Kihlström
Gothenburg, Sweden
ISBN 978-3-030-54948-0 ISBN 978-3-030-54949-7 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54949-7
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To Lukas, Maja and Olivia
Acknowledgments
The potential of democratic welfare work can benefit the development
of its system as well as its ambition to respect individuals and human
rights. To support it, however, an overall perspective is needed, which
Habermas’s theories of communicative action, law and morality offer.
By focusing on the legitimacy of welfare, such a perspective can indicate
existing deficits and show how they can be corrected.
This book wants to give the reader a clear and factual description
of the structure of the perspective and its application in welfare prac-
tice. Writing it was a long and complicated process, but always stimu-
lating and interesting, not least because Habermas’s texts challenged the
experiences I had in practical social work while also providing a breath-
takinginsightintothedeepestissuesinthesocialsciences.Forprocessing
that, I especially want to thank Dr. Hans-Edvard Roos, Department
of Sociology, Lund University, Sweden. His excellent theoretical reflec-
tions, his knowledge of Habermas’s writings and his outstanding ability
for mutual communication and association made my work lively and
inspiring. Also thanks to Professor Carsten Otte, now retired from the
University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany. His kindness in
continually informing me of Habermas’s scientific work from a German
perspective developed my understanding of national and cultural differ-
ences. Many thanks also to colleagues at my Department of Social Work
in Gothenburg, especially to Assistant Professor Dr. Jörgen Lundälv and
vii
viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
lecturer Per-Olof Larsson, which reflected on my draft. I am also fortu-
nate to have a wise old colleague, Dr. Gunborg Blomdal Frei, who made
me aware of the need for a short title. Finally, thanks also to Palgrave
Macmillan, where Sharla Plant saw the potential in the book, and Poppy
Hull as well as Naveen Dass offered excellent guidance in reaching the
final product. However, you also need someone who always believes in
yourcapacity.ThatpersonismydaughterKarolina,whoIthankfrommy
heart.
Contents
1 Introduction: Legitimacy Deficit 1
1.1 An Illustration 4
1.2 A New Dependency 8
1.3 Communicative Challenges 11
1.4 Purpose and Outline of the Book 13
References 16
2 A Social Paradigm 19
2.1 What Is the Social? 20
2.2 Threatening, Empty, Civilizing or Playful? 21
2.3 A Risk for Oversocializing? 23
2.4 The Social as Regulating Communicative Actions 23
2.5 Summary 26
References 27
3 Communicative Legitimacy 29
3.1 Intersubjectivity as Mutual Understanding 31
3.2 From Everyday Life to Systems 38
3.3 Morality and Law 45
3.4 Welfare Administrations 58
3.5 Summary 68
References 70
ix
x CONTENTS
4 Conclusions: Legitimacy Challenges 73
4.1 Help and Control 74
4.2 Solidarity and Justice 77
4.3 Individual Freedom and Collective Will 82
4.4 Recommendations for Welfare Work Professions 86
References 88
Index 91
CHAPTER 1
Introduction: Legitimacy Deficit
Abstract The chapter describes the nature of legitimacy problems in
democratic welfare work and how global economics, bureaucracy, system
efficiency and individualization reinforce them. These processes increase
the individuals’ dependence on the systems and the demands on profes-
sionals to develop better communicative skills to deal with the problems.
Habermas’s theories of communicative action, law and moral provide
toolsforidentifyingandrectifyingtheselegitimacydeficits.Anillustration
from the practice shows how the analysis reveals critical moments in the
interaction between clients and professionals. Earlier attempts by Lipsky
to handle legitimacy and later criticism of bureaucracy from Rockman,
Honneth and others are also presented as well as the basic requirements
for a communication that can meet these challenges.
Keywords Legitimacy deficit · Jürgen Habermas · Communicative
action · Bureaucracy · Globalization
Do citizens trust your welfare work? Does it keep its promises to the citi-
zens and are they met with dignity, respect and ability to respond to the
variousinterpretationsthatmayarise?Theseissuesconcernthelegitimacy
of welfare work, which in short means a consensus-based authority to
applylawsandregulationsdemocratically.Tosucceed,professionals1 need
© The Author(s) 2020 1
A. Kihlström, Communicative Legitimacy,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54949-7_1