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Social Work Commons

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Civic and Community Engagement

Sacred Heart University

Political social work

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social Work

Factors Influencing The Political Activity Of Social Workers: A Comparative Study Among Swiss And United States Social Workers, Tobias Kindler, Jason Ostrander Jan 2022

Factors Influencing The Political Activity Of Social Workers: A Comparative Study Among Swiss And United States Social Workers, Tobias Kindler, Jason Ostrander

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Various international and national social work ethical principles call social workers to participate in politics, yet not much research exists in the field of a political social work. Little is known about the actual voluntary political engagement of social workers as well as factors influencing their political activity. Especially, few studies with an international comparison focus have been conducted. Consequently, this study used cross sectional survey design to better understand the factors influencing the political activity of social workers in Switzerland (n = 1242) and in the United States (n = 3033). The results indicate that the political activity of …


Collective Power To Create Political Change: Increasing The Political Efficacy And Engagement Of Social Workers, Jason Ostrander, Shannon R. Lane, Jennifer Mcclendon, Crystal Hayes, Tanya Rhodes Smith Feb 2017

Collective Power To Create Political Change: Increasing The Political Efficacy And Engagement Of Social Workers, Jason Ostrander, Shannon R. Lane, Jennifer Mcclendon, Crystal Hayes, Tanya Rhodes Smith

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Because social workers are called to challenge social injustices and create systemic change to support the well-being of individuals and communities, it is essential that social workers develop political efficacy: belief that the political system can work and they can influence the system. This study explored the impact of an intensive political social work curriculum on political efficacy and planned political engagement among social work students and practitioners. The findings suggest this model of delivering a political social work curriculum effectively increases internal, external, and overall political efficacy, and that increasing political efficacy has promise for increasing future political engagement.