Author ORCID Identifier(s)

Nguyen Thi Bich Thao 0009-0009-9969-384X

Published In

Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-17-2026

Abstract

Over the past 40 years, conceptual and empirical scholarship on macro social work has grown, particularly as the social work profession has turned to macro practice to respond to crises of neoliberalism and increasing social development needs. Using a systematic literature review with a sequential mixed-methods (quant→Qual) study design, we synthesize over four decades of empirical research (1980–2024) on master’s-level macro social work education, practice, and professional identity development. Our findings testify to the growth and diversity of macro practice from the perspective of social work educators, students, and alumni. Yet we find that this trend is accompanied by significant challenges in how macro practice is viewed and experienced. In response to the concerns raised, we identify strategic opportunities for needed change in macro social work education and practice.

Rights

© 2026 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), 

DOI

10.1080/23303131.2026.2692402

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Social Work Commons

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