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O'Sullivan, Siobhan, Michael McGann & Mark Considine (2019): The category game and its impact on street-level bureaucrats and jobseekers. An Australian case study. In: Social policy and society, Jg. 18, H. 4, S. 631-645. DOI:10.1017/S1474746419000162

Abstract

"A key question concerning the marketisation of employment services is the interaction between performance management systems and frontline client-selection practices. While the internal sorting of clients for employability by agencies has received much attention, less is known about how performance management shapes official categorisation practices at the point of programme referral. Drawing on case studies of four Australian agencies, this study examines the ways in which frontline staff contest how jobseekers are officially classified by the benefit administration agency. With this assessment pivotal in determining payment levels and activity requirements, we find that reassessing jobseekers so they are moved to a more disadvantaged category, suspended, or removed from the system entirely have become major elements of casework. These category manoeuvres help to protect providers from adverse performance rankings. Yet, an additional consequence is that jobseekers are rendered fully or partially inactive, within the context of a system designed to activate." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Pinto, Mauro (2019): Exploring activation: A cross-country analysis of active labour market policies in Europe. In: Social science research, Jg. 81, H. July, S. 91-105. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2019.03.001

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Villa, Matteo & Venke Frederike Johansen (2019): What difference does the context of activation make? Challenges and innovations in the Italian and Norwegian local welfare. In: The International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Jg. 39, H. 5/6, S. 478-493. DOI:10.1108/IJSSP-11-2018-0196

Abstract

"Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of trans-contextual processes of implementation and governance in the transformation of social and labor inclusion policies in Norway and Italy, including research and practical implications.
Design/methodology/approach
It combines qualitative case studies with a framework that makes them comparable, namely, the Logics of Welfare.
Findings
Differences and similarities are related to regimes' path dependencies as well as interactions between bottom-up and top-down dynamics of implementation. Their shifting logics and patterns enhance or hinder the local actors' agency and enactment, and the systems' capability to reduce the risks of exclusion. Results and the ways in which they are achieved are different, although in both cases the inclusion in the labor market remains a contended issue.
Research limitations/implications
The comparison is based on two case studies. A further development of in-depth comparative analysis may improve our understanding of the role of contexts in the implementation of policy reforms.
Practical implications
Reforms have limited capacity to achieve the expected outcomes, including due to a limited understanding of context-based factors. Practitioners and policy makers should take greater account of the latter and their active role in modifying them.
Social implications
This paper provides a deeper comprehension on how policy practices affect citizens' hard pathways toward inclusion.
Originality/value
Through a comparative context-based analysis, the paper shows important differences, similarities and shifting modes of operation in activation policy as well as the role of socio-organizational contexts and bottom-up mobilizations. It looks forward to the possible added value derived from a wider testing of such approaches." (Author's abstract, © Emerald Group) ((en))

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Wright, Sharon & Ruth Patrick (2019): Welfare conditionality in lived experience. Aggregating qualitative longitudinal research. In: Social policy and society, Jg. 18, H. 4, S. 597-613. DOI:10.1017/S1474746419000204

Abstract

"Punitive welfare conditionality, combining tough sanctions with minimal self-directed support, is a defining feature of contemporary UK working age social security provision. This approach has been justified by policy makers on the basis that it will increase the numbers in paid employment, and thereby offer savings for the public purse that are also beneficial for individuals who are expected to be healthier and better off financially as a result. In this article, we aggregate two qualitative longitudinal studies (Welfare Conditionality, 2014-17; and Lived Experience, 2011-16) that document lived experiences of claiming benefits and using back-to-work support services. In both studies and over time, we find, contrary to policy expectations, that coercion, including sanctions, was usually experienced as unnecessary and harmful and that poverty was prevalent, both in and out of work, tended to worsen and pushed many close to destitution. Conditionality governed encounters with employment services and, perversely, appeared to impede, rather than support, transitions into employment for participants in both studies. These constitute 'shared typical' aspects of lived experiences of welfare conditionality. We propose Combined Study Qualitative Longitudinal Research as a new methodological approach to extend inference beyond the usual study-specific confines of qualitative generalisation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Yerkes, Mara A. & Leydi Johana van den Braken (2019): The ambiguity of social return policies in the Netherlands. In: Social policy and administration, Jg. 53, H. 1, S. 113-127. DOI:10.1111/spol.12409

Abstract

"Social procurement policies, which aim to create employment opportunities for vulnerable groups, such as the long-term unemployed and the disabled, have become increasingly popular in recent years. Despite their growing popularity, empirical research on this topic is limited. Combining insights from the social policy and public administration literatures, we explore the development and implementation of 'social return' policies by the Dutch government. These policies are a form of social procurement that require private employers to spend a percentage of public tenders to hire individuals far removed from the labor market. Social procurement appears, by definition, to be a form of social investment. However, our analysis of the ideas underlying its use in the Netherlands suggests that significant contradictions exist, with evidence of neoliberal New Public Management tendencies, social investment, and the more recent form of public administration, New Public Service. Using extensive document analysis of parliamentary documents, discussions and evaluative reports from 2008 to 2014, we reveal the tensions inherent in the Dutch approach and discuss possible implications for our understanding of social policy and administration as well as social protection." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Belle, Eva van, Ralf Caers, Marijke De Couck, Valentina Di Stasio & Stijn Baert (2018): The signal of applying for a job under a vacancy referral scheme. (GLO discussion paper / Global Labor Organization 173), Maastricht, 34 S.

Abstract

"Persistent unemployment across OECD countries has led to increasing investments in activation programmes and, as a consequence, rigorous evaluations of the effectiveness of these programmes. The results of these evaluations have been mixed at best. To improve the effectiveness of the activation programmes, it is important to know why we observe these unsatisfactory results. One possible explanation that has been largely underexplored is the signal these programmes send to prospective employers. We investigate this signalling effect in the context of a job-vacancy referral system. To this end, we conduct a state-of-the-art vignette experiment in which HR professionals make hiring decisions concerning fictitious job candidates who apply either under a job-vacancy referral system or directly (without referral). By analysing the experimental data, we provide first causal evidence for a substantial adverse effect of referral on the probability of being hired. In addition, our experimental design allows us to explore whether this effect is heterogeneous by job candidate and recruiter characteristics and what exactly is signalled by the job-vacancy referral. In particular, we find that employers perceive referred candidates as being less motivated than other candidates." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bellmann, Lutz (2018): Strategien der beruflichen Aktivierung von älteren Arbeitslosen in Polen. In: IAB-Forum H. 20.07.2018, o. Sz., 2018-07-16.

Abstract

"Das deutsche Förderprogramm '50plus - Beschäftigungspakte für Ältere in den Regionen' für Langzeitarbeitslose diente als Vorbild für die Entwicklung einer Aktivierungsstrategie älterer Arbeitsloser in der polnischen Region Kujawsko-Pomorskie. Das Projekt der Nikolaus Kopernikus Universität Torun in Zusammenarbeit mit regionalen Akteuren der Arbeitsverwaltung zielte darauf ab, die positiven deutschen Erfahrungen mit diesem Förderprogramm auf die Situation in Polen zu übertragen. Bei einem Workshop im IAB wurden jetzt die Forschungsergebnisse vorgestellt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Berkel, Rik van & Eva Knies (2018): The frontline delivery of activation: Workers' preferences and their antecedents. In: European Journal of Social Work, Jg. 21, H. 4, S. 602-615. DOI:10.1080/13691457.2017.1297774

Abstract

"This article intends to contribute to the increasing body of academic literature on the frontline delivery of activation policies. In line with the broader literature on frontline work, this literature focuses attention on frontline delivery practices and preferences and how these can be explained. Activation work is an interesting case in this context, because activation workers' jobs designs vary considerably and workers have a diversity of educational backgrounds (including but not limited to social work) in the many countries that have implemented activation policies. This article looks at workers' preferences rather than actual delivery practices. It analyses how job design and educational background are related to workers' preferences concerning servicing clients, managing activation workers and spending time on various activation-related activities. Although the findings of the research that are presented in the article show that educational background and job design play only a modest role as antecedents of workers' preferences, future research into this issue remains interesting. For it may help to increase our insights into the optimal match between what activation aims to achieve and how the provision of activation is organized on the one hand, and workers' skills/qualifications and job design on the other hand." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Brady, Michelle (2018): Targeting single mothers? Dynamics of contracting Australian employment services and activation policies at the street level. In: Journal of social policy, Jg. 47, H. 4, S. 827-845. DOI:10.1017/S0047279418000223

Abstract

"Activation reforms targeted at single parents simultaneously construct them as a legitimate target for activation policy and subject them to new obligations to engage in paid work or education/training. The social policy literature has established that the work of 'making-up' target groups occurs at the street level as well as in government legislation. The street level has become even more significant in recent years as there has been a shift towards establishing quasi-markets for the delivery of welfare-to-work programmes and organising these around the principles of performance pay and process flexibility. However, what is largely missing from the existing literature is an analysis of how contract conditions, together with individuals' activation obligations, shape how they are targeted at the street level. Drawing on a study conducted over eight years with agencies in Australia's quasi-market for employment services, this paper argues that the changes to the contracts for governing this market changed how Australian single mothers were targeted by employment services. Over time there was a shift away from making-up single-parent clients as a distinct, vulnerable target group and a shift towards viewing them in terms of risk categories described within the agencies' contracts." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Breit, Eric, Knut Fossestøl & Eirin Pedersen (2018): A knowledge hierarchy in labour and welfare services? Evidence-based and practice-based knowledge in frontline service innovation. In: International social security review, Jg. 71, H. 4, S. 13-32. DOI:10.1111/issr.12187

Abstract

"Obwohl die politischen Entscheidungsträger und Wissenschaftler gemeinsamen Innovationen und dem Wissensaufbau von Kundendienst, Arbeitnehmern und anderen Akteuren wie Bürgern und Wissenschaftlern immer mehr Aufmerksamkeit widmen, gibt es kaum empirische Untersuchungen über die (unterschiedliche) Einschätzung der Beteiligten, welches Wissen eigentlich aufgebaut werden sollte. In diesem Artikel geht es um diese Wissensbeurteilung anhand einer Vergleichsstudie in zwei lokalen Innovationsprojekten, die von der Norwegischen Arbeitsmarkt- und Wohlfahrtsbehörde in einem vierjährigen Programm zur Dienstleistungsinnovation durchgeführt wurde. Obwohl sie dasselbe Ziel verfolgten, entwickelten die beiden Projekte sehr unterschiedliche Wissensarten: Das eine befasste sich mit praxisbasiertem Wissen und das andere mit evidenzbasiertem Wissen. Im Artikel wird gezeigt, dass erstere Wissensform strittig ist und schwer in die Praxis umgesetzt werden kann, wohingegen letztere wenige (oder gar keine) Herausforderungen stellte und in relativ großem Umfang umgesetzt wurde. Aus den zwei Projekten kann auf eine mögliche Wissenshierarchie in Arbeitsvermittlungs- und Sozialhilfedienstleistungen geschlossen werden, wobei evidenzbasierte Wissensformen und Methoden als gerechtfertigter und angemessener angesehen werden als Wissensformen, die in der Hierarchie tiefer stehen. Zum Schluss folgt eine Diskussion der Gründe und Folgen dieser offensichtlichen Wissenshierarchie für die Kundendienste von Arbeitsvermittlungs- und Sozialhilfedienstleistungen." (Autorenreferat, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons)

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Butterwegge, Christoph (2018): Krise und Zukunft des Sozialstaates. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 460 S. DOI:10.1007/978-3-658-22105-8

Abstract

"Heute leugnet kaum noch jemand, dass sich der Sozialstaat in einer tiefen Krise befindet, aber ist es tatsächlich die Krise des Sozialstaates, oder wird dieser nur zum Hauptleidtragenden einer Entwicklung, deren Ursachen ganz woanders liegen? Um welche Sachfragen und Kontroversen es bei der Diskussion darüber geht, macht dieses Buch deutlich. Sein Verfasser stellt Zusammenhänge zwischen der Entwicklung des Weltmarktes ('Globalisierung'), dem demografischen Wandel sowie den Strategien von Parteien und gesellschaftlichen Interessengruppen her. Inhaltlich schlägt Butterwegge einen weiten Bogen von den Bismarck'schen Sozialreformen im 19. Jahrhundert über die Entwicklung des Wohlfahrtsstaates nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg sowie seinen 'Um-' bzw. Abbau in der Gegenwart bis zu einer solidarischen Bürgerversicherung, die seiner Meinung nach einem bedingungslosen Grundeinkommen vorzuziehen und am ehesten geeignet ist, das historische Projekt der Gewährleistung sozialer Sicherheit und Gerechtigkeit durch Staatsintervention fortzusetzen. Daneben werden konkrete Alternativen zur gegenwärtigen Arbeitsmarkt-, Wirtschafts-, Finanz-, Steuer- und Familienpolitik erörtert." (Verlagsangaben, IAB-Doku)

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Cappelen, Alexander W., Cornelius Cappelen, Stein Kuhnle & Bertil Tungodden (2018): How to retrench the welfare state: Attitudes in the general population. In: Social policy and administration, Jg. 52, H. 4, S. 862-879. DOI:10.1111/spol.12402

Abstract

"In recent years, many countries have faced pressure to cut the costs of the welfare state, and different strategies have been utilized to achieve this, including stricter eligibility requirements, reduced level of benefits, and reduced maximum duration of benefits. This contribution reports the results from a Norwegian survey designed to measure which of these strategies the general population would prefer in a situation where the government has to tighten various social security schemes. For a given reduction in total costs, there is a trade-off between the desire to avoid large individual benefit reductions and the desire to protect some groups of benefit recipients from any cuts. Different preferences for how to retrench the welfare state will reflect how individuals trade off these concerns. We find a striking association between political affiliation and preferred retrenchment strategy. Right-wingers typically prefer to tighten the eligibility criteria, while left-wingers typically prefer to reduce the benefit level. Furthermore, our results indicate that labor market outsiders are less in favor of tightening the eligibility criteria, but more in favor of reducing the maximum duration of benefits, than labor market insiders. This article contributes to the literature on welfare state retrenchment by examining which retrenchment strategy that the public prefers, which in turn sheds light on which measures that are likely to receive popular support from different demographics in the population." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Chalupa, Johannes & Christoph-Martin Mai (2018): Entwicklungen am Arbeitsmarkt in Österreich und Deutschland. Zwischen Jobwunder und Produktivitätsparadoxon. In: Wirtschaft und Statistik H. 6, S. 48-60.

Abstract

"Deutschland und Österreich vermelden Beschäftigungsrekorde. Viele Länder in Europa kämpfen dagegen immer noch mit Auswirkungen der letzten Wirtschafts- und Finanzmarktkrise beziehungsweise einige Länder mit der Staatsschuldenkrise. In diesem Beitrag wird ein vertiefender Blick auf das deutsche und österreichische 'Jobwunder' geworfen. Wurde tatsächlich mehr Arbeit geschaffen und ist diese auch produktiv eingesetzt? Und falls nicht: Wie erklärt sich ein Produktivitätsparadoxon im Zeitalter der fortschreitenden Digitalisierung?" (Autorenreferat, © Statistisches Bundesamt, Wiesbaden)

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Considine, Mark, Siobhan O'Sullivan & Phuc Nguyen (2018): The policymaker's dilemma: the risks and benefits of a 'black box' approach to commissioning active labour market programmes. In: Social policy and administration, Jg. 52, H. 1, S. 229-251. DOI:10.1111/spol.12309

Abstract

"In September 2009, the British Government launched a new employment assistance model called Flexible New Deal. It was soon replaced by Work Programme in 2011. Both prioritized what is often called a 'black box' approach to public employment assistance, whereby the government purchaser focuses predominantly on outcomes and does not seek to direct agency operations. Using a study of the orientations and strategies of frontline employment services staff in 2008 and 2012, we seek to enhance understanding of the impact of so-called 'black box' commissioning on key aspects of service delivery. Black box advocates propose that it is a hands-off approach that allows agencies to be innovative and to improve efficiency. These effects are thought to be due to improved local service quality and greater flexibility to tailor services to individual clients. Critics argue that this increased discretion facilitates under-servicing of some jobseekers and agency profiteering. These practices are commonly referred to as 'parking' and 'creaming'. In this UK study, we provide evidence of both positive and negative activities associated with black box commissioning. We find some small improvements in flexibility at the frontline, but little to no evidence of increased efficiency as measured by the reported rates of jobseekers moving into work. We also observe an increase in practices associated with creaming and parking. We conclude that improving efficiency and maximizing innovation are not guaranteed by black box commissioning, and that the aim of facilitating increased frontline flexibility, while also minimizing risk, persists as a major policy design tension." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Csillag, Márton & Anna Adamecz-Völgyi (2018): Early activation and employment promotion. Brüssel, 71 S. DOI:10.2767/085505

Abstract

In sechs länderbezogenen Fallstudien untersucht der Beitrag mit der Szenario-Methode die Effizienz und Effektivität einer frühen Intervention bei (drohenden) Massenentlassungen hinsichtlich der Vermeidung von Langzeitarbeitslosigkeit. Frühzeitig bedeutet, noch vor der Entlassung Barrieren zu identifizieren, die eine Reintegration im Wege stehen, eine passgenaue Beratung und Weiterbildungsmöglichkeiten anzubieten. Im Ergebnis zeigen sich positive Effekte bei einer personalisierten Arbeitsberatung, die zudem ohne großen finanziellen Aufwand geleistet werden kann. Weitere Vorzüge der frühen Intervention gegenüber späteren arbeitsmarktpolitischen Maßnahmen konnten nicht generell nachgewiesen werden, jedoch in einzelnen Ländern für bestimmte Zielgruppen. (IAB)

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Dauderstädt, Michael & Cem Keltek (2018): Europas Armut und Ungleichheit. Unterschätzt, aber zuletzt leicht gesunken. (WISO direkt 2018,13), Bonn, 4 S.

Abstract

"Die offizielle EU-Statistik schönt nicht nur die Ungleichheit, sondern auch das Ausmaß der Armut in der EU. Beide liegen bedenklich hoch. So sind über 140 Millionen Menschen in der EU von Armut bedroht. Zwar haben sich die Verhältnisse von 2015 auf 2016 leicht verbessert, aber ihr weiter bedrohliches Ausmaß gefährdet den sozialen und politischen Zusammenhalt Europas." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Deeming, Christopher (2018): The politics of (fractured) solidarity: A cross-national analysis of the class bases of the welfare state. In: Social policy and administration, Jg. 52, H. 5, S. 1106-1125. DOI:10.1111/spol.12323

Abstract

"This article considers the politics of social solidarity from a cross-national perspective. In the analysis, we rely on four waves of international social survey data for our sample of Western nations, representative of different welfare state traditions. The time span is a 20-year period and the total country-wave sample comprises over 40,000 records. While there is popular support for governmental actions to protect citizens in old-age and sickness, views about the social rights of unemployed citizens are shifting. High-profile activating labour-market reforms are reapportioning the burden of risk in society. With the rise of right-wing populism in Europe and the USA, this article examines how interests change as citizens lose their stake in the means of security - revealing an ever more fragile and fractured social solidarity." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Fletcher, Del Roy & Sharon Wright (2018): A hand up or a slap down? Criminalising benefit claimants in Britain via strategies of surveillance, sanctions and deterrence. In: Critical social policy, Jg. 38, H. 2, S. 323-344. DOI:10.1177/0261018317726622

Abstract

"British policy-makers have increasingly sought to intensify and extend welfare conditionality. A distinctly more punitive turn was taken in 2012 to re-orientate the whole social security and employment services system to combine harsh sanctions with minimal mandatory support in order to prioritise moving individuals 'off benefit and into work' with the primary aim of reducing costs. This article questions the extent to which these changes can be explained by Wacquant's (2009) theory of the 'centaur state' (a neoliberal head on an authoritarian body), which sees poverty criminalised via the advance of workfare. We present evidence of an authoritarian approach to unemployment, involving dramatic use of strategies of surveillance (via new paternalist tools like the Claimant Commitment and the Universal Jobmatch panopticon), sanction and deterrence. This shift has replaced job match support with mandatory digital self-help, coercion and punishment. In relation to Work Programme providers, there is a contrasting liberal approach permitting high discretion in service design. This article makes a significant original contribution to the field by demonstrating that Wacquant's analysis of 'workfare' is broadly applicable to the British case and its reliance on a centralised model of state action is truer in the British case than the US. However, we establish that the character of British reform is somewhat different: less 'new' (challenging the time-tethered interpretation that welfare reform is a uniquely neoliberal product of late modernity) and more broadly applied to 'core' workers, including working-class white men with earned entitlement, rather than peripheral workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Fossati, Flavia (2018): How regimes shape preferences. A study of political actors' labour market policy preferences in flexicurity and dualizing countries. In: Socio-economic review, Jg. 16, H. 3, S. 523-544. DOI:10.1093/ser/mwx040

Abstract

"Political actors do not operate in a vacuum; rather, it is safe to assume that their preferences are influenced by the institutional context in which they operate. By means of novel interview data, which was collected in flexicurity countries, i.e. Denmark and Switzerland, and in dualizing countries, i.e. France, Germany and Italy, I investigate the preferences of parties, unions, state bodies, employers and social movement organizations towards traditional and activation strategies. I find that the institutional context indeed shapes preferences. The results reveal, for instance, that state bodies reject increasing activation efforts in flexicurity countries but support it in dualizing countries. Moreover, in line with previous research, social democratic parties are found to cater to the interests of insiders by endorsing the expansion of traditional measures in dualizing countries, while focusing on outsiders' interests by preferring the expansion of activation in flexicurity countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Griesser, Markus (2018): Images and imaginaries of unemployed people: Discursive shifts in the transition from active to activating labour market policies in Germany. In: Critical social policy, Jg. 38, H. 2, S. 387-406. DOI:10.1177/0261018317727481

Abstract

"This article introduces a distinctive approach in the field of policy studies. In so doing, it attempts to show how functional change and policy change are mediated through discursive change. For this purpose, the hypothesis of a re-orientation of state functions in the transition from Fordism to Post-Fordism is introduced and further investigated by re-conceptualising it as a policy change in the field of labour market policies (LMPs). By focusing on two case studies regarding the implementation of active and activating LMPs, I will take a closer look at the adoption of these approaches in Germany. More precisely, the associated political discourse is examined in order to highlight the accompanying 'economic imaginaries' and their role in legitimising the aforementioned approaches. I find that such discursive changes are of crucial importance since they represent competing guidelines for political actors in search of solutions to emerging problems." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hansen, Helle Cathrine (2018): Recognition and gendered identity constructions in labour activation. In: International journal of social welfare, Jg. 27, H. 2, S. 186-196. DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12294

Abstract

"Few studies have considered how labour activation programmes affect participants' identity construction, particularly from a gender comparison perspective. Using qualitative data and recognition theories, this exploratory study of the Norwegian Qualification Program examined how gender may affect labour activation recipients' identity construction and sense of social value. The findings suggest that women experience labour activation as an enabling process, facilitating an enhanced sense of social value and status. In contrast, men experience either no such change or a diminution of their sense of worth and status. The study shows how cultural values regarding gender, work and employment are embedded in social work practice and activation policy implementation. Underscoring how activation may be intertwined in such cultural values and norms, the study calls for further research to understand these processes, as they may affect outcomes in labour activation policy." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Hastings, Thomas & Jason Heyes (2018): Farewell to flexicurity? Austerity and labour policies in the European Union. In: Economic and Industrial Democracy, Jg. 39, H. 3, S. 458-480. DOI:10.1177/0143831X16633756

Abstract

"For the past decade the European Commission has urged EU member states to pursue 'flexicurity' policies aimed at achieving employment growth and social inclusion. However, the economic crisis and turn to austerity across the EU has presented the flexicurity model with a substantial challenge. This article argues that since 2008 labour policies across the EU have exhibited shared tendencies, but support for measures that might contribute to the achievement of the security aspects of flexicurity has been substantially weakened. In developing this argument, the article presents findings from a cluster analysis and detailed investigations of labour policies in EU member countries. The article also discusses the implications of the findings for comparative institutional analysis. It highlights differences in the approaches of countries that are commonly treated as members of the same institutional family, as well as similarities in the policies adopted by countries commonly associated with different 'varieties' of capitalism." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hollertz, Katarina, Kerstin Jacobsson & Ida Seing (2018): Organizational governance of activation policy. Transparency as an organizational ideal in a Swedish welfare agency. In: International social security review, Jg. 71, H. 4, S. 71-89. DOI:10.1111/issr.12190

Abstract

"Das Schwedische Sozialversicherungsamt (SSIA - Försäkringskassan) und seine Kundendienstmitarbeiter spielen bei der Umsetzung von Aktivierungsmaßnahmen eine zentrale Rolle. Der Artikel analysiert anhand ethnographischer Untersuchungen in den lokalen Dienststellen, wie das Transparenzideal als integraler Bestandteil der organisatorischen Steuerung der Aktivierungsmaßnahmen im Alltag der sozialpolitischen Verwaltungsarbeit umgesetzt wird. Die Analyse zeigt, welch zentrale Rolle das Transparenzideal bei der Ausrichtung der Kundendienstmitarbeiter auf die Vorgaben der Agentur spielt. Doch auch wenn das Transparenzideal für die interne Organisation der SSIA bestimmend ist, so ist es - wie die Analyse aufzeigt - im Kundenkontakt und in den anderen Beziehungen nach außen viel weniger sichtbar." (Autorenreferat, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons)

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Hosner, Daniela, Doris Schmoller & Eva Heckl (2018): Early Intervention. Strategien und Maßnahmen in Deutschland - Lessons learnt für Österreich. (AMS report 128), Wien, 65 S.

Abstract

"Die diesem AMS report zugrundeliegende Studie, die mit Jahresbeginn 2018 von der KMU Forschung Austria im Auftrag der Abt. Arbeitsmarktforschung und Berufsinformation des AMS Österreich abgeschlossen wurde, zielt darauf ab, einen Überblick über Early-Intervention- Strategien und Early-Intervention-Ansätze sowie entsprechende Maßnahmen in Deutschland zu präsentieren, die Situation in Österreich kurz zu skizzieren und Schlussfolgerungen im Hinblick auf die Gestaltung solcher Early-Intervention-Maßnahmen hierzulande zu ziehen. Im Rahmen der Studie wurden ausschließlich qualitative Methoden der Sozialforschung angewandt. Kernelemente waren dabei eine umfassende Internet-Recherche bzw. eine Dokumenten- und Literaturanalyse sowie ExpertInneninterviews (17 Interviews). In Deutschland wurden die Interviews mit Fachkräften der Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA) bzw. von Länderagenturen (Bayern, Niedersachsen-Bremen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Sachsen-Anhalt-Thüringen) geführt, in Österreich mit ExpertInnen der Bundesgeschäftsstelle und der Landesgeschäftsstellen des Arbeitsmarktservice (AMS) sowie der Sozialpartnerorganisationen. Die ExpertInnenmeinungen im Rahmen der Interviews wurden dabei als Grundlage für die Maßnahmenauswahl im Sinne von Early Intervention herangezogen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Jordan, John David (2018): Evidence from the 'Frontline'? An Ethnographic Problematisation of Welfare-to-Work Administrator Opinions. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 32, H. 1, S. 57-74. DOI:10.1177/0950017017741238

Abstract

"Researchers both supportive and critical of welfare schemes regularly explore the influence, legitimacy and effects of welfare administrator opinions. However, the 'origins' of those opinions are generally less well considered. This article explores and problematises the use of welfare-to-work administrator testimony in social science and social policy research. Rejecting both Foucauldian models of 'elite conceptual download', and approaches that take administrator views at face value, it argues that the material circumstances of day-to-day working may constitute the most significant influence on administrator views. This both supports a more materialist, less idealist and/or positivistic approach, and also suggests the pressing need for more contextualised, ethnographic analysis of data in welfare-to-work debates." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Jørgensen, Henning & Michaela Schulze (2018): Das Aktivierungsparadigma als dominantes Prinzip der Arbeitsmarktpolitik in Deutschland und Dänemark im Vergleich. In: Sozialer Fortschritt, Jg. 67, H. 8/9, S. 627-643. DOI:10.3790/sfo.67.8-9.627

Abstract

"Dänemark und Deutschland werden in der vergleichenden Wohlfahrtsstaatsforschung häufig in Hinblick auf ihre auf aktivierenden Arbeitsmarktpolitiken untersucht. Dabei steht die Aktivierung als sozialpolitisches Paradigma im Mittelpunkt des Diskurses. In dem Artikel wird die Entwicklung der Arbeitsmarktpolitik in den letzten zweieinhalb Dekaden vergleichend analysiert. Die Reformpfade beider Länder weisen dabei zahlreiche Gemeinsamkeiten und zugleich weitreichende Unterschiede auf. Es wird zudem betrachtet, wie sich das Paradigma der Aktivierung gewandelt hat. Die Entwicklungen werden entsprechend Peter Halls Unterscheidung zwischen first, second und third order of paradigm change bewertet." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Knotz, Carlo Michael (2018): A rising workfare state? Unemployment benefit conditionality in 21 OECD countries, 1980 - 2012. In: Journal of international and comparative social policy, Jg. 34, H. 2, S. 91-108. DOI:10.1080/21699763.2018.1472136

Abstract

"Over the last decades, governments in the advanced democracies have put greater pressure on the unemployed to seek and accept employment. This development has been pointed out in much prior research, yet relatively little is known about the exact changes that have been introduced. This paper fills this gap. It draws on a novel time-series cross-section dataset on the strictness of unemployment benefit conditions and sanctions in 21 democracies between 1980 and 2012, and shows in which aspects these rules have become stricter - and in which not. The paper confirms that there has been a general trend toward tighter conditions and sanctions, but adds some important qualifications: Many rules and provisions have also been adapted in response to the emergence of new social risks and there is also a noticeable trend toward more clearly defined and precise rules. Based on these findings, new causal hypotheses are suggested." (Author's abstract, © Taylor & Francis) ((en))

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Kools, Lieke & Pierre Koning (2018): Graded return-to-work as a stepping stone to full work resumption. (IZA discussion paper 11471), Bonn, 56 S.

Abstract

"There is increasing evidence that graded return-to-work is an effective tool for the rehabilitation of sick-listed workers. Still, little is known on the optimal timing and level of grading in return-to-work trajectories, as well as the allocation of trajectories across worker types. To fill this gap, we analyze whether the effectiveness of graded return-towork depends on the starting moment of the trajectory and the initial level of graded work resumption. We use administrative data from a Dutch private workplace reintegration provider. In order to correct for the selection bias inherent to the evaluation of activation strategies, we exploit the discretionary room of the case managers in setting up treatment plans. In correspondence with previous literature we find that graded return-to-work reduces sick spells with eighteen weeks within the first two years after reporting sick. However, the probability of work resumption after two years remains unchanged. Work resumption can be achieved faster when graded return-to-work is started earlier or at a higher rate of initial work resumption. These findings how- ever do not hold for individuals who have problems related to mental health." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Königs, Sebastian (2018): Micro-level dynamics of social assistance receipt. Evidence from four European countries. In: International journal of social welfare, Jg. 27, H. 2, S. 146-156. DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12279

Abstract

"This study investigated the monthly dynamics of social assistance benefit receipt - in particular the incidence of long-term benefit receipt - in four European countries: Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The analysis is based on four separate administrative panel data sets, each covering the 96-month period from January 2001 to December 2008. Benefit dynamics were found to vary considerably across countries. In the two Nordic countries, long-term benefit receipt was found to be a rare exception. Most recipients, however, had multiple spells and the majority of benefit leavers returned to benefits within a few months of leaving. In Luxembourg and The Netherlands, long-term benefit receipt was frequent, but benefit leavers were much less likely to return to benefit receipt after exit. The total duration of benefit receipt per individual across spells was two to three times as high in The Netherlands and Luxembourg as in Norway and Sweden." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Lundberg, Kjetil (2018): The Welfare Subject in the "One-stop Shop" : Agency in Troublesome Welfare Encounters. In: Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, Jg. 45, H. 2, S. 119-139.

Abstract

"The purpose of this article is to investigate the agency of 'welfare subjects' in welfare encounters, situated in a 'one-stop shop' reform context, thereby providing increased theoretical sensitivity into the field of welfare encounters' research. Anchored in a Norwegian reform context, this article analyses agency related to welfare encounters, including welfare subjects' attempts to hold NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration) accountable to help them. Shifting agency positions are located, the lines of responsibility in the welfare encounters are found to be unclear, and there are indications that this may contribute to the production of destructive agency positions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lux, Julia (2018): Krisendiskurse und kapitalistische Entwicklungspfade. Arbeits- und sozialpolitische Projekte in Deutschland und Frankreich. (Globale Politische Ökonomie), Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH - Springer VS, 349 S. DOI:10.1007/978-3-658-18800-9

Abstract

"Julia Lux diskutiert die arbeits- und sozialpolitischen Projekte in Deutschland und Frankreich vor dem Hintergrund der Krisenprozesse seit 2007. Zentral argumentiert sie, dass Deutschland auch in der Krise das Arbeits- und Sozialsystem der Agenda 2010 konsolidiert, während in Frankreich starke Veränderungen in der Arbeits- und Sozialpolitik erkennbar sind. Mit Hilfe eines kritischen, diskursorientierten Ansatzes zur politökonomischen Analyse wird beleuchtet, wie politische Akteure und Akteurinnen den Trend zur Deregulierung des Arbeitsmarktes, Ausweitung der (Lebens-)arbeitszeit und Reform sowie Reduktion der Sozialsysteme in beiden Ländern legitimieren und prägen." (Verlagsangaben)

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Millar, Michelle, Jane Gray, Clíona Rooney & Rosemary Crosse (2018): The (in)adequacy of in-work benefits in Irish lone parent labour market activation policy. In: The journal of poverty and social justice, Jg. 26, H. 3, S. 379-400. DOI:10.1332/175982718X15299561388618

Abstract

"In-work benefits (IWBs) are important in 'making work pay' for many low-income families. We consider the adequacy of Family Income Supplement (FIS) for Irish lone parents transitioning from social protection to paid employment. Drawing on interviews with lone parents and with stakeholders, FIS enables some lone parents to meet basic needs and move towards financial independence, there were also difficulties, and many are financially better off remaining on social protection. There is a need, either for significant changes or for the introduction of an alternative IWB to meet the requirements of lone parents transitioning from social protection to ensure that they are not living in poverty." (Author's abstract, © 2018 Policy Press) ((en))

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Nygren, Lennart, Sue White & Ingunn T. Ellingsen (2018): Investigating welfare regime typologies. Paradoxes, pitfalls and potentialities in comparative social work research. In: Social policy and society, Jg. 17, H. 4, S. 665-677. DOI:10.1017/S1474746418000167

Abstract

"The article reviews the relevance and methodological utility of welfare regime typologies for the study of professional sense-making in social work with families. Focus groups were carried out with social workers in European and Latin American countries representing four different policy regimes. A case vignette was used to elicit social workers' descriptions of how welfare policy may influence how they understand their work task and the notion of family. The research team identified methodological challenges of general relevance in similar policy-practice studies. There were paradoxes in terms of homogeneity on the regime level vs. heterogeneity within and between national services. Pitfalls appeared in the selection of regime-typical cases, language/cultural barriers, and in deciding organisational level. The article shows that welfare typologies have potentialities in that they may provide a helpful analytical basis for theoretical and practical reasoning in which syntheses between policy and practice can be explored, discussed and challenged." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Pisoni, Delia (2018): Activating the most disadvantaged youth in Switzerland. Administratively too risky, politically too costly? In: International social security review, Jg. 71, H. 4, S. 51-70. DOI:10.1111/issr.12189

Abstract

Um die Chancen der Integration junger Menschen in die Arbeitsmärkte der heutigen europäischen Wissensgesellschaften zu erhöhen, setzen viele politische Systeme auf eine Investition in das Humankapital der Jugend. Da man davon ausgeht, dass Berufslehrsysteme den Übergang von der Schule in die Arbeitswelt vereinfachen, scheint dies ein besonders vielversprechender Weg zu sein. Untersuchungen zeigten jedoch, dass die am stärksten benachteiligten Mitglieder der Gesellschaft von der Sozialpolitik oft nicht erreicht werden. Ziel dieses Artikels ist es, die Gründe und Mechanismen dieses Phänomens mit dem Namen Matthäus-Effekt anhand einer einzigen eingebetteten Fallstudie eines Berufsbildungs- und Ausbildungsprogramms für benachteiligte junge Menschen in der Schweiz zu beleuchten. Die Ergebnisse haben gezeigt, dass die Kundendienstmitarbeiter oft Praktiken des Rosinenpickens anwenden, um die strikten Beurteilungskriterien einhalten zu können. Die Verteilung von Haushaltsmitteln gemäß einer politisch-administrativen Logik fördert solche Praktiken, die angewendet werden, um solide Ergebnisse zu erzielen, damit wiederum die politische und damit finanzielle Unterstützung erhalten bleibt." (Autorenreferat, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons)

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Rice, Deborah, Vanesa Fuertes & Lara Monticelli (2018): Does individualized employment support deliver what is promised? Findings from three European cities. In: International social security review, Jg. 71, H. 4, S. 91-109. DOI:10.1111/issr.12191

Abstract

"Individualisierte Beschäftigungspläne sind seit der Einführung der Europäischen Beschäftigungsstrategie 1997 ein wichtiges Ziel der Europäischen Union und ihrer Mitgliedstaaten. Dennoch gibt es nur wenige empirische Untersuchungen über die Erbringung individualisierter Leistungen für Erwerbslose. In diesem Artikel wird untersucht, wie die lokalen Arbeitsagenturen in drei europäischen Städten Beratung und Dienstleistungen auf die individuellen Bedürfnisse der Arbeitssuchenden abstimmen. Ein Ergebnis lautet, dass die beschränkten Dienstleistungsbudgets und die unterentwickelten organisatorischen Schnittstellen mit den sozialen Dienstanbietern dazu führen, dass die Individualisierung der Dienstleistungen in der Praxis eher beschränkt ausfällt, was für benachteiligte Arbeitssuchende ungünstig ist. Die individualisierte Beratung ist hingegen verbreiteter, zumindest bei ausgewählten Zielgruppen. Die organisatorischen Kapazitäten für eine individualisierte Problemerfassung und Beratung schwanken jedoch beträchtlich in den 'individualisierten Welten' Europas." (Autorenreferat, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons)

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Riddell, W. Craig (2018): The labor market in Canada, 2000-2016. A strong resource boom that benefited Canada's economy and labor market was followed by a painful adjustment. (IZA world of labor 432), Bonn, 12 S. DOI:10.15185/izawol.432

Abstract

"Die positive Entwicklung des kanadischen Arbeitsmarktes hat ihn auch die Finanzkrise von 2008 eher glimpflich überstehen lassen. Seit 2000 sind die Realeinkommen bei relativ stabiler Einkommensungleichheit rasch gestiegen. Dennoch haben die Einkommenszuwächse der obersten 10 Prozent der Verteilung die der anderen 90 Prozent weit übertroffen. Der inzwischen beendete Rohstoffboom und der hohe Wert des kanadischen Dollars führten zu einer erheblichen Umverteilung von Arbeitskräften und anderen Ressourcen. Es bleibt abzuwarten, ob künftig ein 'integratives Wachstum' mit einer gleichmäßigeren Verteilung der Erträge erreicht werden kann." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Sage, Daniel (2018): Reversing the negative experience of unemployment. A mediating role for social policies? In: Social policy and administration, Jg. 52, H. 5, S. 1043-1059. DOI:10.1111/spol.12333

Abstract

"This article examines why unemployment is often experienced in a profoundly negative way, and explores the potentially mediating role of social policies. Three dominant theories of unemployment are described, which are often treated as competing, mutually exclusive explanations of the deleterious effects of unemployment. Subsequently, and through drawing upon a qualitative study of unemployed people, it is argued that all three theories are of worth and can be synthesized into a broader explanation of the experience of unemployment as an overarching process of loss. Three forms of loss are identi?ed: loss of agency; loss of the functions of paid work; and loss of social status. The article then explores how these forms of loss can be both ameliorated and intensi?ed through social policy interventions. Concluding, it offers policy recommendations to increase the ef?cacy of social policies in reversing the negative experience of unemployment, with the conclusion that this will require signi?cant reform of the UK welfare state." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Scharle, Ágota, Hugh Mosley & Miroslav Štefánik (2018): The role of PES in outreach to the inactive population. Study Report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 93 S. DOI:10.2767/125717

Abstract

"The inactive population is not a traditional target group for the Public Employment Services (PES), although a significant share of the inactive population wants to work and is potentially available for work. Concerns about demographic trends have made the inactive an increasingly central focus of EU labor market policy. A rapidly shrinking labour force can negatively affect the full economic potential of the Union. Since the inactive are ordinarily not clients of PES, the PES, or other actors, have to engage in outreach activities to establish a relationship to this target group. The aim of the study is to provide an overview of outreach measures for the inactive with particular reference to the role of PES. Within the framework of this small scale study, we focus more narrowly on outreach activities for three target groups among the inactive that are central to current policy discussions on increasing labor force participation and social inclusion: 1. Inactive older workers 2. Working-age women not in the labor force 3. Ethnic minorities and migrants. The first part of the study surveys existing policy regimes and outreach measures for the selected target groups, based on the existing research literature and on national and EU sources. The second part examines in greater detail outreach measures for the target groups in 6 country case studies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Schulte, Lisa, Ian Greer, Charles Umney, Graham Symon & Katia Iankova (2018): Insertion as an alternative to workfare: active labour-market schemes in the Parisian suburbs. In: Journal of European social policy, Jg. 28, H. 4, S. 326-341. DOI:10.1177/0958928717739237

Abstract

"Many governments have tightened the link between welfare and work by attaching conditionality to out-of-work benefits, extending these requirements to new client groups and imposing market competition and greater managerial control in service delivery - principles typically characterized as 'workfare'. Based on field research in Seine-Saint-Denis, we examine French 'insertion' schemes aimed at disadvantaged but potentially job-ready clients, characterized by weak conditionality, low marketization, strong professional autonomy and local network control. We show that insertion systems have resisted policy attempts to expand workfare-derived principles, reflecting street-level actors' belief in the key advantages of the former over the latter. In contrast with arguments stressing institutional and cultural stickiness, our explanation for this resistance thus highlights the decentralized network governance of front-line services and the limits to central government power." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Steinmüller, Florian (2018): Arbeitsmarkt- und Rentenpolitik in Deutschland und Frankreich. Akteurskonstellationen zwischen Exekutive, Parteien, Gewerkschaften und Arbeitgeberverbänden. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 412 S. DOI:10.1007/978-3-658-22767-8

Abstract

"Weitreichende Reformen der Arbeitsmarkt- und Rentenpolitik wurden in Deutschland bereits ab Mitte der 1990er Jahre umgesetzt, in Frankreich hingegen erst ab Ende der 2000er Jahre.
Dabei wird deutlich, dass die französischen Arbeitsmarkt- und Rentenreformen der letzten Jahre wichtige Parallelen zu Deutschland aufweisen. Florian Steinmüller zeigt auf, dass die unterschiedliche Entwicklung beider Wohlfahrtsstaaten und die Annäherung Frankreichs an das deutsche Reformmodell auf die landesspezifischen Beziehungsmuster zwischen Exekutive, Parteien, Gewerkschaften und Arbeitgeberverbänden und auf deren Veränderungsdynamik zurückzuführen sind." (Verlagsangaben, © Springer-Verlag)

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Theodoropoulou, Sotiria (Hrsg.) (2018): Labour market policies in the era of pervasive austerity. A European perspective. Bristol: Bristol University Press, 378 S.

Abstract

"This book investigates the changing patterns of labour market and unemployment policies in EU member states during the period since fiscal austerity took hold in 2010 during the deepest postwar recession in Europe.
Looking at the big European picture, do we see a convergence or a divergence in labour market and unemployment policy trends and outputs? Has labour market insecurity increased or decreased and can these changes be associated with the observed changes in labour market policies and macroeconomic conditions?
Written by leading experts in the field, the book provides detailed national case studies from across the EU, which span labour market regimes and intensities of fiscal pressures to explore whether, and if so how, retrenchment or expansion have taken place across different types of labour market policies and how these changes have been distributed across the well-protected and the less well-protected labour market populations." (Publisher information, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Aurich-Beerheide, Patrizia & Katharina Zimmermann (2017): Soziale Dienstleistungen für Arbeitslose. Lokale Welten der Politikfeldintegration? In: Zeitschrift für Sozialreform, Jg. 63, H. 2, S. 247-274. DOI:10.1515/zsr-2017-0013

Abstract

"Die Autorinnen untersuchen das Zusammenwirken kommunaler Akteure bei der Organisation und Umsetzung der kommunalen Eingliederungsleistungen nach § 16a SGB II, mit denen eine ganzheitliche und umfassende Betreuung und Unterstützung von Langzeitarbeitslosen mit komplexen sozialen Problemlagen bei der Eingliederung in Arbeit gewährleistet werden soll. Die auf der kommunalen Ebene zu organisierende Verknüpfung von arbeitsmarktbezogenen Dienstleistungen mit sozialen Dienstleistungen (Unterstützung bei der Kinderbetreuung und der häuslichen Angehörigenpflege, Schuldner- und Suchtberatung, psychosoziale Betreuung) ist mit komplexen Herausforderungen verbunden, die unter Rückgriff auf das im Kontext der Governance-Forschung entwickelte Konzept der Politikfeldintegration analysiert werden." (Textauszug, © De Gruyter)

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Bengtsson, Mattias, Caroline de la Porte & Kerstin Jacobsson (2017): Labour Market Policy under Conditions of Permanent Austerity. Any Sign of Social Investment? In: Social policy and administration, Jg. 51, H. 2, S. 367-388. DOI:10.1111/spol.12292

Abstract

"Social investment (SI) is part of a strategy to modernize the European welfare states by focusing on human resource development throughout the life-course, while ensuring financial sustainability. Recognizing that this strategy was only partially implemented by the EU member states prior to the financial and Eurozone crises, this article investigates whether reforms and expenditure patterns in labour market policy (LMP) have moved more towards or away from SI following the 2008 financial crisis. We use quantitative and qualitative data to investigate the degree to which there have been shifts in the SI aspects of LMPs in eight countries across four welfare state regimes. We also investigate which aspects of LMPs have been strengthened and which have been weakened, enabling us to make a nuanced assessment of labour market SIs across the EU in a period of permanent austerity. We find that although the eight countries under examination have different starting points, there is little evidence of increased SI-orientation of LMPs. Upskilling, which is at the heart of SI, did not increase from 2004 - 08 to 2009 - 13, while incentive reinforcement and employment assistance - more about labour market entry and marketing of skills - grew in importance. If this trend continues across Europe, there is a risk that SI will become lost in translation and end up as a clearer neo-liberal version of workfarism." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Bennett, Hayley (2017): Re-examining British Welfare-to-Work Contracting using a Transaction Cost Perspective. In: Journal of social policy, Jg. 46, H. 1, S. 129-148. DOI:10.1017/S0047279416000337

Abstract

"This article critically reflects on the administration of activation services in the UK. It describes the welfare-to-work quasi-market and focuses on the impact of 2008 commissioning reforms that advocated amalgamating small contracts into larger 'lots', creating a top tier of prime providers to manage subcontractors, and increasing outcome-based funding. Drawing on transaction cost theory and empirical case study research, it is demonstrated that these changes led to an increase in a range of activities and costs for competing service providers that undermine government rhetoric of choice and efficiency. This article adds to the existing literature on welfare-to-work contracting by demonstrating the difficulties some organisations face in the context of welfare markets and questioning public service out-sourcing processes. It concludes by reflecting on the implications for future market-based social policy reforms." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Berkel, Rik van, Dorte Caswell, Peter Kupka & Flemming Larsen (Hrsg.) (2017): Frontline delivery of welfare-to-work policies in Europe. Activating the unemployed. (Routledge studies in governance and public policy), London: Routledge, 208 S.

Abstract

"Welfare-to-work or activation policies refer to programmes aimed at promoting the employability, labour-market and social participation of benefit recipients of working age. Frontline workers delivering these policies are conceived of as policy implementers, as policy makers, and as actors mediating politics in an arena where conflicting interests are at stake. Frontline work plays a crucial role in determining what welfare-to-work practically means and how it affects the lives of the people it targets. Yet few books have deliberatively focused on comparing what happens when frontline workers, some of whom are professional social workers, meet clients.
Pioneering the provision of scholarly reflections on both theoretical and policy relevance of studying frontline practices of delivering activation, internationally renowned researchers present the first comparative analysis of how activation policies are actually delivered by frontline staff in selected EU countries and in the United States. In trying to understand and interpret frontline practices in activation, each contribution provides insights into what 'activation in practice' looks like, what services are provided and how they are enacted. This involves examining processes of client selection, monitoring, sanctioning and motivating, as well as the role of external service providers. (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bonvin, Jean-Michel & Stephan Dahmen (Hrsg.) (2017): Reformieren durch Investieren? Chancen und Grenzen des Sozialinvestitionsstaats in der Schweiz = Investir dans la protection sociale - atouts et limites pour la Suisse. Zürich: Seismo, 142 S.

Abstract

"Das Paradigma des Sozialinvestitionsstaats hat sich angesichts der aktuellen Herausforderungen, mit denen sich der Wohlfahrtstaat konfrontiert sieht, als Reformstrategie entwickelt. Als Replik auf die neoliberale Kritik des keynesianischen Wohlfahrtstaats schlägt es vor, wohlfahrtsstaatliche Ausgaben als Investitionen in Bildung und das Humankapital einer Gesellschaft zu konzipieren. Mit einer employability-orientierten, aktivierenden Arbeitsmarktpolitik sowie einer Familienpolitik, welche die Verfügbarkeit ihrer Adressaten für den Arbeitsmarkt in den Mittelpunkt stellt, nimmt eine neue Art von Sozialpolitik Form an, die sich selbst als gesellschaftlicher Produktivfaktor sieht. Die in diesem Buch präsentierten Beiträge nationaler und internationaler Experten liefern Analysen und kritische Reflexionen zu den ideologischen Grundlagen und den praktischen Implikationen der Sozialinvestitionsstrategie." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

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Breidahl, Karen N. (2017): Scandinavian exceptionalism? Civic integration and labour market activation for newly arrived immigrants. In: Comparative Migration Studies, Jg. 5, S. 1-19. DOI:10.1186/s40878-016-0045-8

Abstract

"Since the late 1990s, a wide range of so-called new civic integration policies aimed at civilizing or disciplining newcomers have been introduced. Consequently, migration scholars have discussed whether a converging restrictive 'civic turn' has taken place in Western Europe or whether national models have been resilient: Based on an in-depth historical and comparative analysis of labour market activation policies targeting newly arrived immigrants in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark since the early 1990s, the article contributes to the overall question: To what extent do the institutional pathways of the Scandinavian welfare states prevail when confronted with newcomers? Activation policies targeting newly arrived immigrants exemplifies how the ambition of states to promote functional, individual autonomy is also an important, ongoing process in diverse policy areas of the welfare state and not restricted to early integration instruments.
While the Scandinavian welfare states differ on a number of counts with respect to immigration control, national integration philosophies and citizenship policies, the article outlines how activation policies aimed at newly arrived immigrants share several features. One of the key factors in this turn involves path dependency from, among others, a lengthy tradition for strong state involvement and norms about employment. Another factor in this turn involves transnational policy learning. On some points, national versions of these policies are also found due to country-specific citizenship traditions, integration philosophies and party political constellations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Brookes, Marissa & Jamie K. McCallum (2017): The new global labour studies. A critical review. In: Global Labour Journal, Jg. 8, H. 3, S. 201-218. DOI:10.15173/glj.v8i3.3000

Abstract

"The past two decades have seen a dramatic upsurge in sustained, cross-border labour activism, or labour transnationalism. Scattered across multiple disciplines and subfields, a new field of inquiry - the new global labour studies (NGLS) - has emerged as scholars seek to comprehend the causes and consequences of twenty-first-century labour transnationalism. This multi-disciplinary approach has provided a platform from which to analyse an emerging phenomenon. We assess relevant strands of this emerging field that focus on: a) new theories of labour power and corporate vulnerability, and b) worker agency and organising strategy. While these areas have produced robust findings, we argue that developing a more complete understanding of labour transnationalism and its outcomes will require scholars to produce a more explicit critique of mainstream political economy, sociology, political science and labour studies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Brändle, Tobias & Lukas Fervers (2017): Give it another try. What are the effects of a public employment scheme especially designed for hard-to-place workers? (IAW-Diskussionspapiere 129), Tübingen, 32 S.

Abstract

"Job creation schemes (JCSs) have for a long time been considered to function as stepping stone into the labour market for unemployed workers. However, previous research has shown that public job creation schemes have mostly negative effects on the employment outcomes of participants, probably due to strong lock-in effects, which are particularly strong for unemployed workers with higher labour market attachment. This raises the question of whether JCSs could be an effective policy tool for very-hard-to-place workers who have very low job chances anyway. We contribute to this discussion by analysing a JCS that employs a special selection mechanism to identify these workers. Relying on a combination of administrative data and survey data, we employ radius-matching with regression adjustment to estimate treatment effects. Our results indicate that the effects are still negative but weaker than the ones reported in previous studies. Furthermore, we point to effect heterogeneity with regard to contract duration which suggests that the results are more optimistic for shorter contracts. Finally, we show that the results are sensitive to the inclusion of survey variables, even if high quality administrative data are available." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Cammeraat, Emile, Egbert Jongen & Pierre Koning (2017): Preventing NEETs during the Great Recession. The effects of a mandatory activation program for young welfare recipients. (IZA discussion paper 11090), Bonn, 55 S.

Abstract

"We study the impact of a mandatory activation program for young welfare recipients in the Netherlands. Introduced at the end of 2009, the goal of the program was to prevent so-called NEETs (individuals not in employment, education or training). We use a large administrative data set for the period 1999-2012 and employ differences-in-differences and regression discontinuity to estimate the effects of the reform. We find that the reform reduced the number of NEETs on welfare, increased the number of NEETs not on welfare, and had no effect on the overall number of NEETs. Our finding that the reform did not reduce the total number of NEETs contrasts with previous studies, which may be due to the fact that the reform took place during a severe economic recession." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))