Guvernementalisering af velfærdsprofessionerne

Abstract

Traditionelt opfattes professioners autonomi som en direkte folge af den viden, de besidder, samt af de saerlige opgaver denne viden tillader dem at lose, ikke mindst for staten. Denne autonomi er imidlertid sat under pres igennem talrige bolger af reformer i velfaerdsstaten, hvad enten der er tale om reformer med henblik pa bedre opgavevaretagelse eller om simple nedskaeringer. Mens det er velbeskrevet i professionslitteraturen, hvorledes velfaerdsreformer forsoger at regulere de professionelles okonomiske interesser, fx igennem New Public Management-inspirerede tiltag, soger denne artikel at vise en anden type udfordring af professionel autonomi. Pastanden er, at velfaerdsprofessioner som fx laerere eller socialradgivere er blevet gjort til agenter for politiske strategier pa hvert sit policyomrader og det pa en mere direkte og systematisk made end tidligere. Inspireret af Foucault karakteriseres denne udvikling i artiklen som en ”guvernementalisering” af velfaerdsprofessionerne. Det betyder, at professionernes viden og identitet soges orienteret systematisk efter, hvorledes den professionelle bor lede borgerne i overensstemmelse med centrale politiske ambitioner pa omradet. Frem for at vaere agent for professionens egne paedagogiske principper kan en paedagog ifolge denne logik i stedet blive agent i en integrationspolitisk dagsorden, mens skolelaererens professionelle praksis bliver systematisk orienteret efter centrale konkurrencepolitiske mal. Artiklen bestar af en indledende udvikling af begrebet om guvernementalisering efterfulgt af en tekstanalyse, der applicerer begrebet pa centrale dokumenter omkring indholdet af fire velfaerdsprofessioner i en dansk kontekst, nemlig skolelaerere, paedagoger, socialradgivere og sygeplejersker. ENGELSK ABSTRACT: Lars Thorup Larsen: The ”Governmentalization” of the Welfare Professions The autonomy of professions is traditionally based on the knowledge required for the profession and the specific work that this knowledge enables professionals to carry out, not least for the (welfare) state. Waves of welfare state reform have put this autonomy under pressure, however, whether the reforms are aimed at efficiency or are simply cutbacks. A growing amount of literature about these professions shows how political reforms try to regulate the economic incentives of professionals, for example through initiatives inspired by New Public Management. This paper aims to show a different type of challenge to professional autonomy. It argues that welfare professionals such as teachers or social workers have become agents of new political strategies in their respective policy areas, and in a more direct and systematic way than previously. With inspiration from Foucault, this can be characterized as a “governmentalization” of the welfare professions. It means that both professional knowledge and identity become systematically restructured according to how the state would like professionals to govern its citizens in accordance with policy goals in the field. For instance, rather than being an agent of the profession’s own educational principles, a preschool teacher may be required to act professionally out of consideration of the national policy for the integration of immigrants because cultural norms are often exchanged in daycare facilities. Similarly, the professional work of a schoolteacher may be systematically retooled in order to improve the nation’s performance in international rankings of education. This paper develops the notion of “governmentalization” with respect to professions, which is then exemplified in a comparative textual analysis of four welfare professions – teachers, nurses, social workers and preschool teachers – in Denmark. Key words: Professions, governmentality, welfare state, bureaucrats, textual analysis.