Sustainable Wellbeing through Investment in Social Services (SWINS) – the twin green and digital transition (OsloMet/Nova)
We offer supervision to MA students who are interested in investigating questions relating to the impact of climate change and/or the digital transition on the role of the welfare state in general and of social services in particular.
Suitable candidates will get the opportunity to write their dissertation within the framework of the project ‘Sustainable Wellbeing through Investment in Social Services (SWINS)’, which is an international collaborative research project funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme. The project is coordinated by the University of Florence Prato (PIN), Italy, and NOVA/OsloMet is one of ten international partners in the project.
Objective
Focusing on the complementarity of services aimed at developing human capabilities throughout the lifespan, SWINS will explore the impacts of alternative social policy scenarios entailing different social services configurations (from maternal care and childcare to education and active labour market policy, up to long-term care).
SWINS conceptualises the returns to social services in terms of income, employment, and growth, and bridges knowledge gaps about how these investments influence macroeconomic stability and foster the sustainability transition performances in Europe.
OsloMet leads two project tasks relating to the role of social services in the transition to sustainable societies with wellbeing for all – focusing on climate change and digital transformation of society respectively.
Project task 1) Social services in the transition towards ecologically sustainable wellbeing
First, we will examine what different strands of relevant literature say about three fundamental questions:
- Which goals (e.g., paid employment, needs satisfaction, individual wellbeing) and principles of award (e.g. universality, reciprocity, need) should underpin future social services?
- Which formal and informal social services should the EU and national governments promote as instruments to foster the green transition?
- By whom should social services be provided and with what motivations?
Second, we will try to identify concrete empirical examples from across Europe of socio-ecological services, i.e. services that are explicitly designed to foster social wellbeing while keeping within planetary boundaries.
Project task 2) Consequences of digital social services.
The task involves the analysis of digital access to social services (in kind and cash) across selected Member States and associated EEA countries. Also of interest is the link between digitalization of social services and their efficiency and quality. Furthermore, the analysis will include reflections on Matthew effects, not only concerning age and education but also institutional capacity and geographical disparities.
The analyses should lead to conclusions about the broader social and economic implications of digital transformation, guiding strategies to maximize its benefits and mitigate negative consequences.
Research Design
In terms of research design, we welcome both single country and (small-n) comparative case study approaches, based on secondary sources such as official statistics, policy documents, academic papers and, if relevant, a small number of expert interviews.
Relevant for
This project is especially relevant for Social Work and Nordic Social Policy and Global Sustainable Development / MIS. Students from other study options may also apply.
Potential supervisors
Mi Ah Schoyen, NOVA Norwegian Social Research
Rune Halvorsen, Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy
Contact persons
We encourage potentially interested students to contact Mi Ah Schoyen (miah.schoyen@oslomet.no) and Rune Halvorsen (rune.halvorsen@oslomet.no) as soon as possible and to submit a short outline (1-2 pages) of preliminary interests and ideas along with a brief CV by 15 March 2024. You can write in either English or Norwegian.