Typologie und Klassifikation in Sozialer Arbeit und Sozialpolitik

Basic questions relating to typologies and classifications shape the discussions in social work and social policy, but have not yet been systematically addressed. This study first explains the foundations of those two ordering schemes in terms of their theory, methodology and definition. Subsequently, it explains their different perspectives and uses in social work and social policy and discusses questions about their relation to each other and their options for use. Among other things, it is important to find out whether the ordering schemes, as medium-range theories, can build communicative bridges between the formative individual case perspective of social work and the formative aggregated perspective of social policy. These considerations, together with the results of a qualitative survey of experts at several US universities, lead to a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of regulatory schemes and to the presentation of a test catalogue of their critical use in theory and practice.