Track 1: Empirical case studies of social investments in care for marginalized citizens

Investment rationales transpire on a social policy continuum where investments in the one end manifests as contractual agreements on financial returns and a metaphorical sense of investments in the other end where policymakers think of social policy spending as investments without formalizing expectations of returns.

In track 1, we study how investment rationales are expressed and experienced by local policymakers, welfare professionals and citizens who are invested in. The context of the empirical cases are municipalities, regions, civil society organizations and various funders and interest organizations. We treat research participants with confidentiality and do not share names of people, places or organizations.