Reconceptualizing social care

Contrasting classical and contested care policies and their gendered implications

In Zusammenarbeit mit dem DVPW-Arbeitskreis "Politik und Religion" und der ECPR Standing Group "Religion and Politics"

Leitung: Jörg Siegmund / Agnes Blome / Eva-Maria Euchner

Sekretariat: SBEHNISCH, Tel.: 08158 / 256-0

* Fester Teilnehmerkreis. Zusätzliche Anmeldungen nur nach Rücksprache mit dem Tagungssekretariat.

Much of the current comparative literature on social care is concerned with "classical" care policies such as elderly care and early childhood care. However, not least the COVID19-pandemic has re-directed the attention towards other groups of beneficiaries and forms of social care, called here "contested care policies." This includes, for instance, palliative care, care for migrants or victims of domestic violence. Moreover, the pandemic has shifted our attention back to the relationship between paid and unpaid care provided by family, close relatives, friends, and neighbors. In many countries, the state withdrew from being a provider of social care, which brought new profit- and non-profit-oriented actors on the agenda and promoted informal care arrangements. Seen in relation to contested care policies, these shifts draw the attention to different gender-related challenges, conflicts and inequalities, as well as new forms of governance and causes of policy change. Furthermore, contrasting classical and contested care policies opens up possibilities to advance an intersectional understanding of social care politics and implementation, e.g. by considering migrants not only as (informal) care-providers but as a group of care-receivers with own needs. Explored from an internationally comparative perspective, this change of focus will substantially complement existing research on "classical" care policies and their gendered implications with new empirical, analytical, and theoretical insights. We are looking forward to our discussions at the Akademie für Politische Bildung at Lake Starnberg.