Calling Evidence-Based Practice into Question: Acknowledging Phronetic Knowledge in Social Work

• Published in: The British journal of social work 2015-07, Vol.45 (5), p.1581-1597
• Main Authors: Petersén, Anna Charlotta, Olsson, Jan Ingvar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: episteme; evidence-based practice; Knowledge; phronesis; praxis-based knowledge; Social sciences; Social Work; Social workers; Socialt arbete
• ISSN: 0045-3102; 1468-263X; 1468-263X
• DOI: 10.1093/bjsw/bcu020

In this article, we call into question evidence-based practice as a working strategy for relevant applied knowledge in social work. We argue that evidence-based practice suffers from a dilemma whereby a narrow view of evidence is prioritised at the cost of relevance to social work. Instead, we suggest that praxis-based knowledge informed by different forms of knowledge is a better option with a greater potential to enhance the use of knowledge in social work practice. The article takes its starting point from Aristotle's knowledge triad of episteme, techne and phronesis, and further incorporates Flyvbjerg's perspective on a phronetic knowledge, which is value-based, context-dependent, sensitive to power relations and grounded in practical experience. We argue that phronesis is important for making social science matter in practice, and that this holds in particular for social work. The praxis-based knowledge approach can offer a wiser solution to the evidence-relevance dilemma by using a broader knowledge view and thereby taking practical relevance more seriously. This article pays particular attention to ways of making the extensive evaluation activity in social work more relevant and useful from a phronetic evaluation perspective.