Study on the"Convergence"Phenomenon of Services Provided by Social Work Agencies Intervening in Social Work Stations:Based on a Case Study of W Street Social Work Station in C City
In the context of the development of social work stations across various regions with local characteristics,local governments have promoted the transformation and upgrading of these stations from traditional"administrative"to"professional"services by introducing social organizations to better utilize local resources.However,social work agencies operating in the same region often provide the same services through different approaches,leading to an inability to flexibly respond to the increasingly di-verse needs of the population.This also deviates from the original intent of the social work station policy.In response to the phenomenon of service convergence in social work within the realm of social governance,previous studies have generally focused on two re-search perspectives:The first places the issue within the framework of the interac-tion between the state and society,emphasizing the dualistic tension between the state and society from a state-centered perspective.It attributes the convergence of organizations to the"failure of interaction between the state and society",thus over-looking the autonomy and selectivity of organizations and individuals involved in governance,as well as the realities of social evolution under state influence.The sec-ond perspective begins with the resource environment necessary for the survival of social work organizations.It argues that the government's reliance on social organiza-tions for public services is asymmetrical,with social organizations becoming even more reliant on government resources.This convergence phenomenon is thus consid-ered a result of this resource relationship.While this perspective acknowledges fac-tors beyond power,it fails to analyze the underlying governance logic behind re-source allocation.The author believes that researchers should not view the convergence issue solely from the perspective of power or resources.Instead,it should be examined through the overlapping effects of both,while still adhering to state-centrism.The paper adopts a new institutionalist framework,as represented by DiMaggio and Pow-ell,to analyze the causes of the convergence phenomenon using the practical frame-work of"logic-resource-service",taking the W Street Social Work Station in C City as a case study.The study concludes that the convergence phenomenon is the final result of the behavior logic of the entire social work industry,the street where the project is located,and the specific institutions providing services,which are influ-enced by different legalities and resource allocation governed by their respective logic.The service path of the social work station is shaped by resource allocation,which in turn is influenced by the logic of the entire social work industry,the street-level government,and the specific institutions providing services.The convergence of institutional social workers in the service sequence is a type of"normative convergence",with the allocation of professional symbolic resources being governed by the development logic of"professional localization"in the social work field,which prioritizes professional specialization over technical expertise.The convergence in service focus is"mandatory convergence",driven by the governance logic of street-level government,which emphasizes administrative outcomes over specialized services.Lastly,the convergence in service results is"imitative conver-gence",driven by the survival logic of social work agencies,where institutional spe-cialization gives way to platform specialization.By addressing these issues,this paper contributes to improving the macro-level research framework of government-society relations and provides a new perspective on the phenomenon of social work organizations failing to maintain differentiation in the intervention process at social work stations.It offers multi-dimensional and layered attributions to better understand the governance dynamics.At a practical level,it aims to improve the current situation of strong government dominance in the operation of social work stations,weak cooperation among social entities,and the disconnection of function and power due to the lack of legitimacy in actions taken by various parties.These insights provide a reference for the transformation and spe-cialization of social work stations in townships and villages(streets)globally.
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