“Strivers”, “doers”, and “seekers”: Social workers and their commitment to the job

Amid considerable interest in the experiences of early career professionals in social work in England and internationally, and the relationship between these and retention and progression, this article reports on the findings of one element of a larger evaluation. It reports the findings and analysis of interviews with 42 relative newcomers to social work, some 3 years following qualification, focusing on their current career orientations, and how these appear to affect their future intentions. We identified three distinct groups, designated as “strivers,” “doers,” and “seekers.” Each of these groups demonstrated a different kind and level of commitment to their social work role and identity: Strivers were oriented towards career progression and taking on senior roles; doers were committed practitioners who saw themselves as continuing in front line service delivery for the foreseeable future; and seekers, although still committed to social work in principle, tended to be more unsure about their future place in the profession. This typology appears to be reasonably robust on the basis of our investigation and has implications for career planning and supervision of social work professionals, especially at the early stages of their careers.     

Pension reform in the Baltic States: Convergence with “Europe” or with “the world”?

Abstract The Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – join the European Union in 2004. This paper examines pension reform in the three countries over the past decade in the light of the “European social model” and the “World Bank model”. Part one seeks to define these two models. It shows how the former emphasizes income adequacy and solidarity while the latter stresses fiscal sustainability, savings and economic growth. Part two looks at reforms made and proposed. Initial reforms involved raising the retirement age and relating benefits more closely to earnings and service. This resulted in the establishment of pension systems similar to those in many European countries. Subsequent reforms involved attempts to shift from a publicly financed, purely “pay‐as‐you‐go” system to one based upon “funding” and private, individual accounts. Such systems have been promoted by the World Bank. The appropriateness of this approach – its high transition costs, potentially high administration costs, and longer‐term implications for the relative income status of retired people – is questioned. Part three draws conclusions. In the short and medium term, policymaker should safeguard income adequacy rather than seek the doubtful advantages of funding – in other words, look more to “Europe” than to “the world”.     

磨刀匠老张

位于团岛四路的团岛市场出口处,人来人往,买菜、进货的人络绎不绝,喧闹声、车轮声、汽笛声混杂在一起。就在这方喧闹之地的角落里,有一位老人,安静地专注于自己的工作,他就是磨刀匠张洪祥。2000年,张洪祥从临沂来青务工,之前从事过建筑工人、木匠,由于家庭的变故以及行业的艰难,他决定拾起年轻时的手艺——磨刀。来青至今,在自己的小摊上,张洪祥默默坚持了整整14个年头,寒来暑往,不曾更改。当下,正值寒冬,冷飕飕的寒风令人瑟瑟发抖,这位65岁的老人在寒风中赤手工作,似乎已经习惯了。跟随张师傅来到他家,不足10平米的小屋是在自行车棚里用几张木板零零散散拼接起来的板房,只有张师傅一个