Hannah Arendt described bureaucracy as “rule by nobody, and for that reason, perhaps the most inhumane and cruel form of governance”. This research-led teaching project explores how bureaucratic processes and practices within the welfare state structure social inclusion and exclusion, and what forms of agency are available to different players. The project further investigates how bureaucratic mechanisms function as “invisible boundaries” regulating access to social participation.

The focus lies on the interplay between politics, institutional structures, everyday practices, and various players. The project considers the perspectives of clients (e.g., individuals with experiences of poverty, (forced) migration, or disability), institutional representatives, and social workers. Key questions include:

• To what extent can we see administrative bodies as places where internal borders are drawn?
• How do affected individuals experience interactions with authorities?
• How do public officials understand their roles, particularly in implementing policies that regulate access to welfare services?
• What role does Social Work play in this context?
• What ways of overcoming borders, building resistance, and bringing about change emerge?

To understand how bureaucratic processes operate and to develop proposals for change, the project employs a range of methodological approaches – including ethnography, interviews, discourse analysis, and action research – aligned with the interests of participating students.

This project offers in-depth insights into bureaucratic structures and dynamics across various fields of action and topics (such as poverty, disability, and health), while also encouraging reflection on the students’ own professional Social Work practice. It aims to foster the development of practical, reflexive approaches to actively counteract social exclusion.