TY - JOUR
T1 - User participation in the Norwegian Welfare Context
T2 - An analysis of policy discourses
AU - Askheim, Ole Petter
AU - Christensen, Karen
AU - Fluge, Synnøve
AU - Guldvik, Ingrid
PY - 2017/7
Y1 - 2017/7
N2 - This article argues that the social construction of user participation policies includes both differences and similarities regarding three user groups: older people, disabled people and people with mental health problems. The article is based on a historical discourse analysis of national documents in Norway. It points at a democracy/social rights discourse, based on the idea of social citizenship, as a common and historically stable discourse for all three user groups and relates this to the specific characteristics of Norwegian welfare policies. A contrasting consumer discourse, stressing users' consumer role and related to the impact of New Public Management reforms, is only evident in the case of older people and from the 1990s. A co-production/co-partnering discourse, stressing user/professional-partnership, is evident in the current policies directed at older people and those with mental health problems. Both the consumer and co-production discourse remain marginal in the case of disabled people.
AB - This article argues that the social construction of user participation policies includes both differences and similarities regarding three user groups: older people, disabled people and people with mental health problems. The article is based on a historical discourse analysis of national documents in Norway. It points at a democracy/social rights discourse, based on the idea of social citizenship, as a common and historically stable discourse for all three user groups and relates this to the specific characteristics of Norwegian welfare policies. A contrasting consumer discourse, stressing users' consumer role and related to the impact of New Public Management reforms, is only evident in the case of older people and from the 1990s. A co-production/co-partnering discourse, stressing user/professional-partnership, is evident in the current policies directed at older people and those with mental health problems. Both the consumer and co-production discourse remain marginal in the case of disabled people.
U2 - 10.1017/S0047279416000817
DO - 10.1017/S0047279416000817
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0047-2794
VL - 46
SP - 583
EP - 601
JO - Journal of Social Policy
JF - Journal of Social Policy
IS - 3
ER -