TOPIC: Social Work Under the Crisis of Anthropogenesis: Towards Humanity or Efficiency?
Bio:
Boguslavas Gruzevskis, Professor at Vilnius University, Social Policy Department. Director of Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences. Former Advisor to the Prime Minister. Expert on employment, labour market policy, social work and social dialog for the World Bank, European Commission, OECD, ILO, etc.
He has more than 30-year experience of working with public administrations on national/international and local/regional level managing several projects on the social security, social work and labour market both at research and policy design level, as well as in the field of education, vocational training, social inclusion and HRD. He is very well familiarised with the policy of the EU in the field of social security and employment policy being a Lithuanian member of the European Employment Policy Observatory network from 2003.
Abstract:
The basis for talking about the crisis of anthropogenesis is provided by: intensifying climate change, ecological changes and the growth of inequality on an unprecedented scale. Traditional economic relations and business orientation towards increasing profits do not ensure harmonious social development in many countries of the world since the end of the 20th century. Artificial intelligence (AI) by increasing productivity more and more reduces employment. In such a situation, a false conclusion is often made that information technologies pushes people out of economic activity. This is not true. A person is displaced by another person, the owner of technology, who increases his profit, correspondingly increases inequality and social disproportions in society. How should the content of social work change in such a situation? Could the Workfare model ensure effective social work in a post-modern (perhaps trans-humanist) society? Can universal basic income be a suitable alternative to declining employment?