Social Work Research in Chile: Tensions and Challenges under the ‘Knowledge Economy’ and Managerialist Research Agendas

Abstract

Research has been a contested dimension of Chilean social work. An important turn occurred in 2008 when Chilean national research policies—highly influenced by managerialist approaches—increased opportunities for social workers to conduct research. Several efforts have been made by academics and professional social work organisations to encourage research as a means of gaining recognition as a discipline. Drawing upon a thematic literature review from a Chilean-based study on social workers’ research trajectories, this article contends that, despite the value of such efforts, there are some tensions related to the acritical adoption of such a managerialist approach on social work research that need further attention: (i) research does not have the same value for all social work sectors; (ii) social work research is mainly understood as ‘academic’ research; and (iii) social workers’ research does not necessarily have a ‘social work focus’. These findings are discussed in light of the historical background of Chilean social work and the insights provided by the international literature, from which we conclude that the creation of more inclusive and collaborative ways of conducting research is an urgent challenge. Findings are context-specific, yet, offer considerations for social work research seeking to counteract managerial approaches of knowledge production.

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