사회사업 조사연구는 복잡하고 다양한 인간의 욕구와 문제들을 해결하고 예측하기 위하여 과학적 방법론을 적극 활용하여 왔다. 과학적 방법론은 인간행동의 기준을 설정하고 결과를 제시하는데 객관성을 제공한다는 이유로 선호되고 있다. 그러나 이러한 과학적 방법론을 사회사업실천영역에서 사용하는데 있어서 간과해서 안 될 점은 클라이언트를 중심에 놓고 조사연구를 실행할 수 있어야 한다는 것이다. 즉, 개입을 계량화하는데 초점을 두지 않고 클라이언트를 중심에 두고 역량 강화할 수 있는 방법이 필요한 것이다.
이러한 맥락에서 본 연구는 사회사업 본연의 가치인 클라이언트 중심의 조사연구 접근과 이론과 실천의 간극을 메우는 하나의 교량으로서 실행연구(AR: action research)와 참여적 실행연구(PAR: participatory action research)의 개념과 과정을 소개하고 한국 사회사업실천에의 적용가능성을 모색하였다.
AR과 PAR의 개념과 역사, 실행과정을 분석하고 사회사업실천에의 필요성과 적용점을 분석해본 결과, 필요성에 있어서는 실천현장에서의 적용용이성, 지역사회기반의 일반주의 실천접근과의 적합성, 조사연구와 실천의 통합, AR기술의 실천기술로서의 활용성 등으로 나타났다. 적용상의 이점으로는 클라이언트 문제와 욕구에 대한 보다 깊은 이해, 다각적인 맥락에 의거한 해결방법 모색, 조사자 곧 실천가 자신의 반성과 성장, 임파워먼트 실행의 촉매제로서의 기능, 조사연구의 확대가능성, 지역사회기반의 조사연구 확대, 효과적인 사회복지 조직관리에 있어서의 적용 등인 것으로 나타났다. 
마지막으로 한국 현장에 AR을 도입하기 위해서 유의할 점으로 조사연구자로서의 실천가의 역량강화, 공동협력연구의 필요, 현장과 실천중심 연구를 강조하는 인센티브 제공, 구체적인 액션리서치의 한국형 모델 구축 등 4개의 과제를 제언하였다.

사회사업에서의 Participatory Action Research(PAR)와 Action Research(AR) 모델 적용 필요성에 관한 연구

Calls for a greater inclusion of local actors have featured for some time in debates on how to make humanitarian action more efficient and address unequal power relations within the humanitarian sy...

A call for critical reflection on the localisation agenda in humanitarian action

New information and communication technologies (ICT) have enabled communities to collect and share information and tap into a network of peers in unprecedented ways. For more than a decade, informa...

Making sense of crises: the implications of information asymmetries for resilience and social justice in disaster-ridden communities

Whilst the relation between local and global levels has been a long-standing concern of humanitarian, development, and peace efforts, in recent years the term “localisation” has become a major issu...

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1542316620922805

Localisation Across the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus:

This report describes the current state of affairs for women and adolescent girls. It outlines that when a crisis strikes women and girls are disproportionately disadvantaged in that they are at a heightened risk of sexually transmitted infections including HIV unintended unwanted pregnancy maternal death and illness sexual- and gender-based violence. In addition they are less prepared or empowered to survive or recover.

UNFPA state of the world population 2015: shelter from the storm: a transformative agenda for women and girls in a crisis-prone world.

The global humanitarian system is overstretched; inadequately investing in risk reduction and prevention, and providing assistance that is often insufficient, inappropriate and late. Humanitarian action led by governments in crisis-affected countries, assisted and held accountable by civil society, is usually faster and more appropriate, saving more lives and alleviating the suffering of many more men, women and children. Yet, during 2007–2013, less than 2 percent of annual humanitarian assistance went directly to local actors. In this research report, Oxfam puts the humanitarian system under the lens and finds that it must change to remain effective; with locally led humanitarian action whenever possible; adequate funding to state and non-state actors in affected countries; and stronger partnerships between international and local actors, focusing on strengthening local capacity.

Turning the Humanitarian System on its Head: Saving lives and livelihoods by strengthening local capacity and shifting leadership to local actors

Local humanitarian leadership is built upon the premise that humanitarian action should be led by local humanitarian actors whenever possible, yet this research finds that secular humanitarian INGOs do not engage systematically with local faith actors in their local leadership work. Based primarily on interviews with humanitarian INGO staff, this research also found that neither secular nor faith-inspired international humanitarian organizations have a sufficient level of religious literacy to enable them to understand the religious dimensions of the contexts in which they work and to effectively navigate their engagement with local faith actors.

/pdf/local-humanitarian-leadership-and-religious-literacy-3vmy8jq8s7.pdf

Local Humanitarian Leadership and Religious Literacy: Engaging with Religion, Faith, and Faith Actors

Tens of millions of people receive vital humanitarian aid every year, but millions more suffer without adequate help and protection, and their number is relentlessly rising. Far too often their suffering is because their governments cannot, or intentionally will not, ensure their citizens' access to aid and protection. This paper looks at how we can improve the humanitarian system and calls for a shift of power and resources from international actors to local actors.

Righting the Wrong: Strengthening local humanitarian leadership to save lives and strengthen communities

Health and religion are both important to the world community The right to each is enshrined in international law, yet the legal relationship between the rights remains largely unexplored Often, the right to religion and the right to health support each other Religious beliefs and practices, however, sometimes conflict with measures that are necessary for the protection and promotion of public health In these cases, where public health is significantly affected, we argue that governments should base law and policy on scientifically proven measures While such measures may curtail the right of citizens to engage in certain religiously based practices, narrowly-tailored restrictions are compatible with international law When a government is faced with a choice between a policy grounded in religion and a policy based on a conflicting, but scientifically-proven, health intervention, basing policy on science in order to protect and promote health is consistent with international law, even if it means curtailing the right of citizens to practice their religious beliefs It should be emphasized that in the absence of a conflict between religion and science-based health interventions, there is no need or justification to restrict religious practice for health purposes Religious viewpoints and practices generally do not clash with the practice of public health Additionally, there will be times when the question of what is the most effective health intervention or policy cannot be answered adequately by the current state of science In these instances, allowing the unfettered practice of religion is appropriate and comports with international human rights standardsThis article analyzes the relationship between religion and health, the scope of relevant international human rights law, and a few salient situations in which religious practice and health may conflict Part I examines the multifaceted and largely unexplored relationships between health and religion Part II outlines the development and current state of the rights to religion and health as defined in international human rights law Finally, Part III assesses the relationship between the right to health and the right to religion under human rights law, and applies our analysis to three scenarios in which religious practice and health may conflict

/pdf/when-the-right-to-health-and-the-right-to-religion-conflict-3inmgpogs0.pdf

Tara R. Gingerich

Papers

Turning the Humanitarian System on its Head: Saving lives and livelihoods by strengthening local capacity and shifting leadership to local actors

Local Humanitarian Leadership and Religious Literacy: Engaging with Religion, Faith, and Faith Actors

Righting the Wrong: Strengthening local humanitarian leadership to save lives and strengthen communities

When the Right to Health and the Right to Religion Conflict: A Human Rights Analysis