The neoliberal ideology, its contradictions, the consequences and challenges for Social work

The article shows the influence of neoliberalism on social work and tries to give answers following the International Federation of Social Work (IFSW) Code of Ethics (4.2.4 social justice-Challenging unjust policies and practices). Neoliberalism can be described as an economic-political project of capitalist elites which involves the following: economization of all areas of life, privatization, economic globalization and deregulation. The article will give a short historical overview of the development of neoliberalism, the myths and tenets of the new neoliberal ideology and the »manufacturing of consent« (Herman and Chomsky, 1994). Additionally, the article will describe the consequences for social policy and social work, which include the reduction of the welfare state and a development that can be outlined with the following key terms: economization of social work, work-fare instead of welfare. Finally the article will describe the reaction of social work on this development. Some necessary anti-strategies will also be discussed.