Identifying varied policy practices and impact of market-led ideas: A case of community social workers serving people affected by urban regeneration in Hong Kong

Abstract This article builds on existing research by examining the policy practices of community social workers who served people affected by urban regeneration in Hong Kong. Based on semi-structured interviews with eighteen practitioners—including frontline workers, team leaders, and service managers with 4 to over 20 years of experience—the study identifies that social workers’ policy practices are often guided solely by market-led ideas, or occasionally by an additional focus on sustainable urban regeneration. The findings support previous claims that social workers are not always sensitive to the effects of neoliberal urban development. Moreover, the study reveals that motivational and facilitative factors influence not only social workers’ engagement in policy practice, but also the policy ideas shaping their work. These insights contribute to discussions about how neoliberalism constrains social work practice and show possibilities for moving beyond these limitations.