Citizenship and rehabilitation in everyday life, working life and society
This field of research wants to produce new knowledge about co-operation, participation
and processes of involvement between public welfare on the one hand and civil society and
voluntarism on the other hand. There is an urgent need for constructive models and
practices for co-operation since the Norwegian welfare state is facing new challenges in
relation to demographic changes, such as aging society and migration. In this situation, the
welfare state needs to take the resources of voluntarism and participation in local
communities into consideration. Several public reports that have been mandated by the
Norwegian government formulate strategies for these co-operations, for example
Primærhelsetjenestemeldingen (Meld. St. 26 (2014-2015)), Morgendagens omsorg (Meld. St.
29 (2012-2013)), Omsorg 2020 (HOD 2015); Folkehelsemeldingen. Mestring og muligheter
(Meld. St. 19 (2014-2015); HOD 2015). Earlier research in the field shows that there are
comprehensive challenges with regard to co-ooperation and innovation in the interface of
voluntary initiatives and etablished public welfare services (Rønning 2013; Haarr & Fjetland
2014; Guribye 2016; Langeland et al. 2016).
The research group Citizenship invites proposals for Ph.D. projects that study co-operation
models within the framework of health care service on the municipal level. The focus of
these models should be the planning, realization and monitoring of rehabilitation in
everyday life. This implies to produce new knowledge about the importance of various forms
of co-operation between public welfare services and voluntarism and civil society.
Rehabilitation in everyday life means to offer services that start from what citizens
experience to be a meaningful life. This includes connection to and cohesion with local
community, home, family, activities and interests. Current questions in the field of cooperation between public and voluntary actors in rehabilitation in everyday life are practices
of co-operation, entrepreneurship and innovation in everyday life activities for elderly
people or situations that demand help and support. Projectsd could for example study
meaningful activities and meeting places, purchasing of food or community meals, transport
or the maintenance of physical, social and spiritual needs.