Karl Urban
Research Area
Education
MA, Pedagogy and Management in Social Work, Technische Hochschule Köln – Cologne University of Applied Sciences, 2018
BA, Social Work, KatHO NRW, Catholic University of Applied Sciences, 2015
About
Karl Urban is a PhD candidate with interests in nonprofit organizing, child and family social work, and international social service provision. Originally from Portland, OR, USA but educated in Germany, he brings a distinctly international lens to his work and research. Karl managed a primary school childcare program and offered career orientation workshops to youth before commencing his doctoral studies at UBC.
Research
Karl’s research explores the roles played by children in the evaluation of nonprofit services for children and families. Drawing on a critical institutionalist framework, his doctoral research project seeks to comparatively situate children’s contributions to evaluative knowledge creation within neoliberal social policy frameworks in Canada and Germany. By addressing issues of children’s voice in evaluation, this scholarship is highly relevant to a range of other service user groups, for example newcomers, older adults, and people with disabilities.
Publications
Urban, K. (2024) Quality Translated – Comparing Nonprofit Evaluation Practices in Germany and the USA. Canadian journal of nonprofit and social economy research.
Jungbauer, J., Heibach, J., & Urban, K. (2016). Experiences, Burdens, and Support Needs in Siblings of Girls and Women with Anorexia Nervosa: Results from a Qualitative Interview Study. Clinical Social Work Journal, 44(1), 78-86.