Syftet med denna kvalitativa studien var att undersöka hur socialsekreterare inom myndighetsutövning, missbruk, upplever att samverkan fungerar med andra organisationer. Fyra socialsekreterare och en förste socialsekreterare intervjuades i studien. Det insamlade materialet från intervjuerna har sedan analyserats med hjälp av en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Intervjuerna analyserades med hjälp av begreppen problemorientering, målhantering och grad av anpassning. Resultatet visade att det fanns flera faktorer som påverkade samverkan. De faktorer som respondenter uppgav påverkade samverkan gynnande var att skapa bra relationer mellan samverkanspartnerna, tydliga rutiner i samverkan, en nära lokalisering mellan samverkanspartnerna, ledningen och när samverkanspartnerna litade på varandras kompetenser. De faktorer som försvårade samverkan var tidsbrist, brist på kunskap om samverkanspartnerna, olika perspektiv, konflikter, ekonomin, riktlinjer och regler. För att förbättra samverkan behöver samverkanspartnerna få en ökad förståelse för andra organisationers perspektiv och arbetsuppgifter. / The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how social workers within exercise of authority that worked with clients who abuse substance and alcohol, experience how collaboration works with other organisations. We interviewed four social workers and one first social worker. The collected material from the interviews has been analysed using content analysis. The interviews were interpreted by the concept problem orientation, commitment to goals and degree of adaptation. The results showed several factors that affected collaboration. The factors that respondents stated affected collaboration was to create good relations with the collaboration partners, clear routines in collaboration, a near localization between the collaboration partners, the management and when the collaboration partners trusted each others competences. These were benefitting factors for collaboration. Lack of time, lack of knowledge about the collaboration partners, different perspective, conflicts, economy and rules was aggravating factors for collaboration. In order to improve synergies, collaboration partners need to be better at understanding the other organizations’ perspectives and tasks.

The school can be seen as a place that reflects the wider community. Here is a school welfare officer an important representative of the school social work. The main subject of our study is to clarify how the school welfare officers’ talk about documentation in the individual meeting with the pupil. Through individual interviews with five school welfare officers in elementary schools in three municipalities in the southern part ofSweden, we have attempted to explore these main research question. In addition to qualitative interviews we have accomplished a survey study that included 178 school welfare officers throughout the country. The result of our two studies demonstrates the school welfare officers’ free work where the choice to document or not is wide. Even on those occasions when documentation is an obligation, they have an opportunity to choose how much they should expose the pupil. The study also shows on an uncertainty as regard to record in general and where the written words end up in particular. The school welfare officer seems to be comfortable in his/her free role, but still want some sort of guidelines to enhance the pupil’s equal rights. They have an apologetic or justifying way of talking (accounts) about the documentation, which can be due to their free role and the fact that documentation has a tendency to be difficult to interpret in the law.

The point of departure for this study is Michael Lipsky’s description and problematization of street-level bureaucrats’ discretion. Street-level bureaucrats, such as teachers, have a possibility to influence the implementation of policy at the point of delivery to citizens.This can create a problem within the democratic policy process as policy does not materialize in the way that politicians intended. I used a qualitative research design and interviewed ten teachers in upper secondary schools about their exercise of authority, in order to investigate a factor that may lead to policy-making: logics of action. I claim that logics of action are suitable tools for analyzing and discussing the policy-making that street-level bureaucrats perform in the democratic policy process. The main purpose of this study is to contribute to such a discussion. A second purpose is to elucidate logics of action as a type of factors that guides teachers’ exercise of authority, but which has not been noticed to any great extent in previous research. I investigated which logics of action are mainly present in teachers’ exercise of authority concerning assessment and grading: a logic of consequences or a logic of appropriateness; a manufacturing logic or a service logic; and an instrumental logic or alternative logics. The relationship between logics of consequences and appropriateness is complex. It is difficult to say that one logic is the dominant force behind teachers’ exercise of authority. This is because of the constantly changing circumstances in the school environment. As for the manufacturing and service logics, the latter is dominant in assessment and grading. This does not influence decision-making as such, but enriches policy with a certain value production. Lastly, teachers claim that they instrumentally follow the guidelines in their exercise of authority. But at the same time alternative logics, such as gaming and cheating with the rules, are very much present in assessment and grading. Alternative logics distort teachers’ decision-making in several ways. These results show that logics of action are indeed tools that can help us to better understand what influences street-level bureaucrats’ exercise of authority, and how this contributes to policy-making. I conclude by suggesting how the use of logics of action as analytical tools can enhance our knowledge of street-level bureaucrats’ discretion in future research.

Abstrakt Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka på vilket sätt socialarbetare inom socialtjänsten arbetar för att bygga och bibehålla förtroende hos klienterna. Studien är baserad på intervjuer med fyra socialsekreterare från fyra olika verksamheter inom socialtjänsten i södra Skåne, Sverige. Resultatet är presenterat utifrån de olika teman som framkommit under intervjuerna och har analyserats utifrån Scheff’s teori om sociala band och den socio-emotionella världen. Studiens resultat har visat att socialsekreterarna bygger och bibehåller förtroende samtidigt som de bygger och bibehåller trygga sociala band med sina klienter genom trovärdighet, klientinflytande och relationsskapande. Trovärdighet nås genom att kommunicera kunskap, korrekt och tydlig information och transparens i ärendet. Klientinflytande nås genom klientens deltagande i processen, socialarbetarens flexibilitet när det gäller att inkludera klienten, och socialarbetarens förmåga till kontroll och myndighetsutövning när det är nödvändigt. Relationsskapande innebär att förmedla välmening, att kunnaavdramatisera myndighetskontakten, att lyssna in klientens åsikter och känslor, att finnas där både fysiskt, mentalt och som moraliskt stöd och att kunna bekräfta klientens framsteg och upplevelser. Utifrån Scheff’s perspektiv kan detta sätt att arbeta med förtroende även ses som respektfull kommunikation, en djupare förståelse för varandra genom attunement och rolltagning, liksom en strävan efter att vända klientens otrygga sociala band och känslor av skam, ilska eller misstro till ett tryggt socialt band och samhörighet. / Abstract The aim of this study was to examine in what way social service workers in social services operate in order to build and maintain the trust of their clients. The study was drawn upon interviews with four social service workers from four separate agencies within the social services of Southern Scania, Sweden. The results were presented by different themes from the interviews and were analysed through Scheff’s theory of social bonds and the social-emotional world. The results of the study revealed that social service workers were building and maintaining trust while also building and maintaining secure social bonds with their clients, through credibility, user influence and building of relationships. Reliability was attained through communication of knowledge, correct and clear information and transparency of the case. User influence was attained by the clients’ participation in the case, the social service workers’ flexibility regarding inviting the clients to participate, and the ability of the social service workers to take charge and exercise their authority when needed. The building of relationships meant expressing good intentions, being able to defuse the clients’ worries about authorities, attuning to the views and feelings of the client, being there both physically, mentally, and morally, and being able to validate the progress and experiences of the client. From the perspective of Scheff, this way of working with trust could also be interpreted as respectful communication, a deeper understanding of each other from attunement and role-taking, and an aim at turning the client’s alienated social bond and emotions of shame, anger or distrust into a secure social bond and feelings of pride and solidarity.

Vår tids reformering inom den offentliga sektorn har genererat stora organisatoriska förändringar för den svenska socialtjänsten. Implementeringen av New public management [NPM] och en evidensbaserad praktik [EBP] har resulterat i en marknadsstyrd verksamhet med fokus på effektivitet och produktivitet. Där intentionen om att förbättra och utveckla verksamheten främst genererat ökade dokumentationskrav och fler administrativa arbetsuppgifter för den enskilde socialsekreteraren, vilket följaktligen resulterat i mindre klientnära arbete och en mer stressfylld arbetssituation. En arbetssituation som utifrån dess allvarsamma karaktär blivit ett omtalat ämne för både samhällsforskning, fackförbund och yrkesverksamma socionomer. Mot bakgrund av socialtjänstens arbetsförhållanden avser denna studie att undersöka hur socialsekreterare upplever sin arbetssituation utifrån myndighetens utmanande arbetsmiljö, etisk stress samt de motstridiga krav som förekommer i yrkesutövandet. Studien utgår ifrån en kvalitativ forskningsansats där vi med hjälp av Hoschilds teorier om emotioner, Karaseks krav-och kontrollmodell samt teorier om etisk stress strävat efter förståelse för socialsekreterarens komplexa yrkesutövning och arbetssituation. Empirin utgörs av kvalitativa intervjuer med socialsekreterare verksamma inom individ och familjeomsorgens myndighetsutövning och påvisar i likhet med tidigare forskning på fältet att arbetsbelastningen inom verksamheten är hög. Att de organisatoriska kraven är omfattande och att stressnivån i längden påverkar socialsekreterarens välmående och hälsa. Studien visar att socialtjänstens nuvarande arbetsmiljö bidrar till att flera engagerade socionomer söker sig bort från verksamheten för att inte riskera att drabbas av ohälsa. Empirin synliggör också att bristen på återhämtning ofta skapar en obalans mellan känslan av krav och kontroll, vilket på sikt kan leda till att socialsekreterarens etiska engagemang omvandlas till etisk stress. Genom att synliggöra myndighetsutövande socialsekreterares arbetsmiljö utifrån ett etiskt perspektiv, finns förhoppningen om att vår studie, trots sin ringa storlek, ska bidra till en ny nyans inom forskningsfältet och på så vis medverka till att yrkets etiska aspekter förändras till det bättre. / The reform of our time in the public sector has generated major organisational changes for the Swedish social services. The implementation of New public management [NPM] and an evidence-based practice [EBP] has resulted in a market-driven organisation focused mainly on efficiency and productivity. Reforms that were implemented with the intention of improving and developing the Swedish social service, but instead led to increased documentation requirements and more administrative tasks for the individual social worker, consequently resulting in less client-related work and a more stressful work situation. A working situation which, due to its serious nature, has become a topic of discussion for social research, trade unions and professional social workers. With serious shortcomings within social services regarding the working conditions of social workers, this study aims to investigate how social workers experience their work situation based on the challenging work environment due to the authorities processes, ethical stress and the conflicting demands that occur in their professional practice. The study is based on a qualitative research approach, using Hoschild's theories of emotions, Karasek's demand and control model and theories of ethical stress, we sought to understand the complex professional practice and work situation of the social worker. The empirical data consists of qualitative interviews with social workers working within personal and family counselling services and demonstrates, as previous research in the field has, that the workload within the agency is highly demanding. The organisational requirements are extensive and that the level of stress in the long term affects the well-being and health of the social worker. The study shows that the authorities lack understanding of the working environment which contributes to several engaged social workers turning away from social services so as not to risk suffering from ill health. The empirical evidence also shows that the lack of recovery often creates an imbalance between the sense of demand and control, which overall can lead to the social worker's ethical commitment being transformed into ethical stress. By making visible the working environment of social workers in public authorities from an ethical perspective, it is hoped that our study, despite its small size, will contribute to a new nuance in the research field, we hope furthermore to contribute to a change in the ethical aspects of the profession for the better.

<p>Gender politics in Sweden is considered unique because gender policies (jämställdhet) are integrated into national politics and politicised both in the public and the private sphere. The Swedish case is therefore considered a role model by many feminist scholars.</p><p>This view has been criticised by both post modern feminists and public administration scholars. Critics imply that the increased immigration and more heterogeneous population have led to a new challenge for state institutions. The Swedish model, with its universal welfare solutions, lacks the ability to recognise differences within groups. Universal solutions that treat everyone the same is no longer the most just way to treat people.</p><p>The growing use of goal orientation in Swedish public administration has increased the civil servants discretion in the implementation process, and thereby the space for differentiated treatment. This thesis aims to study the civil servants that implement gender policies in every day practice. It is focused on their interpretations of gender and gender equality and how this affects their exercise of authority. The thesis is a case study of two authorities in a heterogeneous area – the northern part of Botkyrka.</p><p>By using a two-fold theoretical approach and combine two perspectives, feminism and a policy analysis, the study analyses how the front-line bureaucrats handle the tension between the universal welfare politics and the demands of the immigrants. The first theoretical approach presents two different feminist perspectives: one that values economic redistribution and one that find it more fair to recognise differences between women. The second approach introduces theories on implementation that makes it possible to study how interpretations have an impact on the exercise of authority in front-line bureaucracies.</p><p>The main result of the study is that the front-line bureaucrats’ interpretations differ from the national gender politics. They have a more differentiated view of women than the universal Swedish gender politics. The study also shows that front-line bureaucrats tend to attribute negative cultural factors to immigrants. These prejudices find their way through the bureaucracy, into the public administration and the exercise of authority.</p>

Gender politics in Sweden is considered unique because gender policies (jämställdhet) are integrated into national politics and politicised both in the public and the private sphere. The Swedish case is therefore considered a role model by many feminist scholars. This view has been criticised by both post modern feminists and public administration scholars. Critics imply that the increased immigration and more heterogeneous population have led to a new challenge for state institutions. The Swedish model, with its universal welfare solutions, lacks the ability to recognise differences within groups. Universal solutions that treat everyone the same is no longer the most just way to treat people. The growing use of goal orientation in Swedish public administration has increased the civil servants discretion in the implementation process, and thereby the space for differentiated treatment. This thesis aims to study the civil servants that implement gender policies in every day practice. It is focused on their interpretations of gender and gender equality and how this affects their exercise of authority. The thesis is a case study of two authorities in a heterogeneous area – the northern part of Botkyrka. By using a two-fold theoretical approach and combine two perspectives, feminism and a policy analysis, the study analyses how the front-line bureaucrats handle the tension between the universal welfare politics and the demands of the immigrants. The first theoretical approach presents two different feminist perspectives: one that values economic redistribution and one that find it more fair to recognise differences between women. The second approach introduces theories on implementation that makes it possible to study how interpretations have an impact on the exercise of authority in front-line bureaucracies. The main result of the study is that the front-line bureaucrats’ interpretations differ from the national gender politics. They have a more differentiated view of women than the universal Swedish gender politics. The study also shows that front-line bureaucrats tend to attribute negative cultural factors to immigrants. These prejudices find their way through the bureaucracy, into the public administration and the exercise of authority.

This thesis aims to analyze how tendencies to corruption affect trust in Central Managing Authorities: Sweden Public Employment Service, National Service Center, and Swedish Insurance Agency.  The research questions are:  · Can the trust and legitimacy for the three Central Managing Authorities has been affected by corruption?  · What similarities and differences exist about the corruption into Swedish Public Employment Service, National Service Center, and Swedish Social Insurance Agency?  · Can the lack of trust and legitimacy have other causes than the occurrence of corruption?  The study used comparative method, where cases have been compared and analyzed out from theoretical framework. Through comparation, similarities and differences between the cases and find explaining factors about how corruption can affect trust through applying of the theoretical framework was identified. There are some important implications. First, corrupt tendencies can lead to common interests be override because of personal interests. Second, the democratic values in the public administration can be affect negatively because of corrupt tendencies. Lastly, knowledge and awareness are fundamental for how corrupt tendencies affect citizen’s trust for Central Managing Authorities.