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This article explores how Finnish long-term unemployed interviewees resist the unemployment category applied to them in interview settings by addressing different deservingness cues. Data collection occurred through group and individual interviews among 70 long-term unemployed individuals with limitations to their ability to work. During analysis, three means of resistance were identified and named: ‘separating’, ‘declining’ and ‘enriching’ through which the interviewees address their proximity to ‘us’, neediness and lack of control.

This article focuses on the analysis of 14 social work students' MA course assignments using Lucia Berlin's short story entitled 'Good and Bad'. Our focus is twofold: We ask 1) How do social work students describe their learning when analysing Berlin's short story; and 2) what kinds of skills do they identify as resulting from this learning? Our analysis indicates that social work students view the use of works of fiction in social work instruction as useful for their education in two key ways. First, in most cases, students found that analysing fiction enhanced their analytical strategies, such as advancing their ability to think critically and apply theoretical knowledge in practice. Second, students viewed the analysis of fiction as helpful in adopting skills relevant to social work practitioners, referring, for example, to emotional labour and to operating in situations that involve conflicting interpretations. We conclude that the use of fiction in social work education is beneficial when students are given explicit guidelines regarding how to place fiction into the context of academic theories, scientific knowledge and epistemological considerations. In addition, to enhance students' learning, encouraging students to self-reflect is vital to discussing their reflections and interpretations in face-to-face encounters.

Her main research interests concerns discourses on prolonged unemployment, poverty, deservingness and responsibilisation. Laura locates herself within the social constructionist tradition, and has a special interest on discursive methods and questions that sit on the boundary surface of social and labour market policies.

This book provides a robust empirical and theoretical analysis of reciprocity and its implications for social work and social policy practices by discussing how ideas of reciprocity can be understood and applied to welfare policy and social care practices as well as how the act of reciprocity supports the well-being of citizens. Contributions from Finland, Austria, the UK, the USA and Canada illuminate the ways in which sociopolitical contexts influence the power relations between citizens, practitioners and the state, and the potential (or otherwise) for reciprocity to flourish. This will be essential reading for social care practitioners, researchers and educationalists as well as postgraduate students in social work and related social care and community-oriented professions and social policymakers. Maritta Törrönen is Professor of Social Work at University of Helsinki. Her main research interests concern theory of reciprocity, global welfare society, communities, power relationships, everyday life and well-being, which have points of reference with social work and social policy, childhood, child protection, family research and ethnic studies. Her recent research is linked to international social work and proactive social work. She is leading the project 'Reciprocal Encounters-Young People Leaving Care', funded by the European Union during 2016-2018.