<i>‘What we’ve tried, hasn’t worked’</i>: the politics of assets based public health<sup>1</sup>

Friedli, Lynne

doi:10.1080/09581596.2012.748882

Cited by 117 publications

(120 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…There is concern that alongside employability, an agenda of 'confidence and self-esteem' is replacing 'the creative, intellectual, more radical and emancipatory purposes of adult education' (Thompson 2007, 94), with accompanying declines in liberal adult education (see Taylor 2013) and critical social studies within the social purpose tradition (Caldwell 2013;Field 2005). There has therefore been critique of both the well-being and assets agendas regarding their encouragement of a tendency towards psychological and psychosocial explanations and responses that detract from those at a structural level and therefore have depoliticising effects (Carpenter and Raj 2012b;Edwards and Imrie 2008;Friedli 2011aFriedli , 2013McCabe and Davies 2012;Thompson 2007;Tomlinson and Kelly 2013).…”

Section: Policy Contextmentioning

confidence: 98%

Responding to the mental health and well-being agenda in adult community learning

Lewis

2014

Research in Post-Compulsory Education

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In the United Kingdom, changes in the policy, funding and commissioning landscape for mental health and well-being are posing opportunities and challenges for adult community learning (ACL). Opportunities include increased recognition of, and funding for, the 'wider benefits' of learning, whereas challenges include the risks of ACL provision becoming hijacked by a health and well-being agenda that compromises its primary educational purpose and values. This paper engages with these policy debates through reporting on a study of mental health ACL that employed the capabilities approach along with two other complementary areas of social theory -recognition theories and theories of capitals. Its aim was to explore the means through which ACL impacts mental health and to draw out implications for policy and practice. Findings from focus groups with adult learners and tele-discussions with ACL practitioners revealed three main means through which the provision helped generate interlinked mental health and educational capabilities: providing recognition, generating resources (capitals) and enhancing agency freedom. Elaborating these findings, the paper sets out an argument for interpretation of the mental health and well-being agenda in ACL in terms of a humanistic, liberatory pedagogy that encompasses feminist praxis and draws out policy implications across the areas of ACL and mental health.

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Section: Policy Contextmentioning

confidence: 98%

Responding to the mental health and well-being agenda in adult community learning

Lewis

2014

Research in Post-Compulsory Education

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“…One popular narrative is that individuals can, and should, change their circumstances by obtaining a job that pays them sufficiently well to enable them to move up the socio-economic ladder; or, in UK Prime Minister David Cameron's words, that those in difficult circumstances should 'work their way out of it' (Cameron, 2012). This narrative is particularly evident in 'welfare to work' interventions in the UK (Wright, 2012), many of which aim to 'empower' individuals to make more use of their 'assets' and realise their potential to work (Friedli, 2013). If achievable, this could place such individuals in a position to pay (more) for the resources they require to flourish (e.g.…”

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confidence: 99%

Fantasy paradigms of health inequalities: Utopian thinking?

Scott-Samuel

Smith

2015

Soc Theory Health

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This paper argues that, while it can be politically expedient for governments to engage with health inequalities, they cannot, within the confines of neoliberalism, realistically propose actions that evidence suggests will effectively reduce them -such as tackling power inequalities, social status and connections or class inequality. Indeed, a dominant 'policy paradigm' prioritising economic growth restricts the ability of policy actors to imagine alternative, more equitable scenarios. In this context, some policy actors and researchers have devised a parallel fantasy world in which proximal, downstream, easily-tackled exposures are posited as potential solutions to health inequalities. The consequence of this is a widespread public sector culture in which well-meaning policy-makers, practitioners, researchers and members of the public collude in sustaining a 'cargo cult' of health behaviourism. In examining this situation, we draw on accounts and critiques of utopian thinking to help explain: (i) the remarkable persistence of policy proposals to tackle health inequalities via downstream interventions, in spite of the strength of evidence challenging such approaches; and (ii) the limited extent to which more upstream proposals inform policy debates. We argue Ruth Levitas' notion of 'utopia as method' offers an imaginative and potentially useful avenue for future health inequalities research.Abstract word count: 199

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“…The evidence suggest cautious optimism is merited: through social prescribing 'plus' in particular policymakers in a number of localities have embraced the principles of asset-based working and collaborative innovation but whether this amounts to a genuine step-change in their approach will need to be assessed over the longer term. The current interest in social prescribing cannot be decoupled from the policy and politics of public sector austerity and transformation and a number of commentators have argued that asset-based approaches could become a smokescreen for reductions in statutory provision of public health, care and welfare services, alongside further marketisation of public services, and the withdrawal of the social rights of citizens (Friedli, 2013). These critics suggest that only when asset-based approaches like social prescribing are adopted and invested in as a mechanism for reducing barriers to the resources necessary for good health, and framed as a core strategy for increasing equity in health (South et al, 2013), should they be embraced as an opportunity to increase the involvement of individuals, communities and organisations that represent and support them, in public services.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Policy commentary - Social prescribing 'plus': a model of asset-based collaborative innovation?

Dayson¹

2017

PPP

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Social prescribing is a current UK social policy phenomenon but to what extent does it represent a substantive change in the way policymakers think about services for people with multiple and complex needs? I draw on several local studies of social prescribing initiatives to argue that cautious optimism is merited: through the idea of social prescribing 'plus' key actors in a number of localities have embraced the principles of asset-based working and collaborative innovation to achieve real change in policy and practice. However, policy interest in social prescribing cannot be decoupled from the public sector austerity and transformation agenda, and the true testing ground will be how local policymakers develop services in future: will they draw on the asset-based collaborative principles of social prescribing 'plus'; or will it lead to expectations that people and communities do more for themselves without the necessary investment in this alternate model of welfare.

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‘What we’ve tried, hasn’t worked’: the politics of assets based public health¹

Cited by 117 publications

References 28 publications

Responding to the mental health and well-being agenda in adult community learning

Responding to the mental health and well-being agenda in adult community learning

Fantasy paradigms of health inequalities: Utopian thinking?

Policy commentary - Social prescribing 'plus': a model of asset-based collaborative innovation?

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‘What we’ve tried, hasn’t worked’: the politics of assets based public health1

Cited by 117 publications

References 28 publications

Responding to the mental health and well-being agenda in adult community learning

Responding to the mental health and well-being agenda in adult community learning

Fantasy paradigms of health inequalities: Utopian thinking?

Policy commentary - Social prescribing 'plus': a model of asset-based collaborative innovation?

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‘What we’ve tried, hasn’t worked’: the politics of assets based public health¹