The African Social Development Models, addressing the macro gap
This lesson introduces the African Social Development, or ASD, Model, the structural gap it was designed to address, and situates it alongside the wider global field of social development scholarship.
The model was developed over 2 periods, in the 70s to 80s by ASWEA and Yimam in the 90s and 00s academics who included Gray and Kaseke. It was further developed in the 2010s and 20s be various academics.
African social work has historically shown a gap in which the micro (individual) and meso (family and community) levels are prioritised, while the macro level, whole of society, is neglected. This gap has been documented by a number of scholars over several decades, including Tesfaye writing for ASWEA in 1974, Selassie in 1976, Yimam in 1990, and Gray, Mazibuko and O’Brien in 1996.
Edwin Kaseke’s 2001 critique is central to this lesson. Kaseke argued that the Western modernisation approach falsely relies on the assumption that economic growth will trickle down to the poorest members of society. In practice, this assumption has failed. Rather than lifting the whole of society, it has resulted in wealth concentration and absolute poverty for those left behind.
The ASD Model responds to this failure by shifting from a residual, welfarist model, one that treats poverty as an individual misfortune to be relieved case by case, to a structural approach. This structural approach secures access to basic needs, safeguards self-esteem, promotes social justice, and advances egalitarian ideals through social policies, structures and institutions, rather than through case by case relief.
Read more about ASWEA here https://africasocialwork.net/association-of-social-work-education-in-africa-aswea-1965-to-1989/ Take no less than 30 minutes reading, focusing on the history, work of ASWEA and its model.
