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When the Client Becomes Her Own Caseworker: Dislocation of Responsibility through Digital Self-Support in the Swedish Public Employment Service

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  3. Sozialer Fortschritt
  4. Vol. 71, Issue 6–7
  5. pp. 405–423

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Wallinder, Y., Seing, I. When the Client Becomes Her Own Caseworker: Dislocation of Responsibility through Digital Self-Support in the Swedish Public Employment Service. Sozialer Fortschritt, 71(6–7), 405-423. https://doi.org/10.3790/sfo.71.6-7.405v2
Wallinder, Ylva and Seing, Ida "When the Client Becomes Her Own Caseworker: Dislocation of Responsibility through Digital Self-Support in the Swedish Public Employment Service" Sozialer Fortschritt 71.6–7, 2022, 405-423. https://doi.org/10.3790/sfo.71.6-7.405v2
Wallinder, Ylva/Seing, Ida (2022): When the Client Becomes Her Own Caseworker: Dislocation of Responsibility through Digital Self-Support in the Swedish Public Employment Service, in: Sozialer Fortschritt, vol. 71, iss. 6–7, 405-423, [online] https://doi.org/10.3790/sfo.71.6-7.405v2
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When the Client Becomes Her Own Caseworker: Dislocation of Responsibility through Digital Self-Support in the Swedish Public Employment Service

Wallinder, Ylva | Seing, Ida

Sozialer Fortschritt, Vol. 71 (2022), Iss. 6–7 : pp. 405–423

2 Citations (CrossRef)

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Article Details

Publisher Name
Duncker & Humblot
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3790/sfo.71.6-7.405v2
Language
German
Pages
19
Keywords

Author Details

Wallinder, Dr. Ylva, Department of Sociology and Work Science, University of Gothenburg, SE- 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden.

Seing, Ida, Department of Behavioral Science and Learning, Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping.

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    https://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.362 [Citations: 0]

  2. A journey into the new employment service landscape of responsibilisation: Towards de‐personalisation of the caseworker–jobseeker relationship

    Bengtsson, Mattias | Jacobsson, Kerstin | Wallinder, Ylva

    International Journal of Social Welfare, Vol. 33 (2024), Iss. 1 P.137

    https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsw.12584 [Citations: 0]

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Abstract

Drawing on ethnography in the Swedish Public Employment Service, this article compares caseworkers’ and local managers’ perceptions of changes towards increasing digital self-services for clients. Findings reflect a conflict of interest between different service ideals: vulnerable subjects in need of personalized guidance (caseworkers) versus competent subjects ready to manage their own unemployment via digital self-services (local managers). As we argue, the dislocation of responsibility via digital self-services serves to reinforce responsibilization, thus turning the client into her own caseworker. This development runs the risk of pushing vulnerable groups even further away from employment than they already are.

Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
Ylva Wallinder / Ida Seing: When the Client Becomes Her Own Caseworker: Dislocation of Responsibility through Digital Self-Support in the Swedish Public Employment Service 1
Abstract 1
Zusammenfassung: Wenn die Klientin ihre eigene Sachbearbeiterin wird: Verlagerung von Verantwortung durch digitale Selbsthilfe in der schwedischen öffentlichen Arbeitsverwaltung 1
1. Introduction 2
2. Digital Self-Services in Street-Level Bureaucracies 3
3. The Swedish Public Employment Service: Policy and Organizational Context 6
4. Data and Methods 7
5. Findings 8
5.1 Digital Self-Service: Local Managers’ Perceptions 8
5.1.1 The Competent Subject: Give the Case Back to the Client 8
5.1.2 Becoming a ‘Modern’ Agency 9
5.2. Digital Self-Services: Caseworkers’ Perceptions 1
5.2.1 The Vulnerable Subject: A Need for Personal Contact and Guidance 1
5.2.2 Reduction of Client Complexity 1
6. Discussion 1
References 1

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