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Europäische Kommission. Generaldirektion Beschäftigung, Soziales und Integration (2021): Joint Employment Report 2021. As adopted by the Council on 9 March 2021. (Joint employment report), Brüssel, 141 S.

Abstract

"The Joint Employment Report by the European Commission and the Council is mandated by Article 148 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The European Commission’s proposal for this report is part of the Autumn package. The Joint Employment Report provides an annual overview of key employment and social developments in the European Union as well as Member States’ reform actions, in line with the Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States. The report follows the structure of the Guidelines: boosting the demand for labor (Guideline 5), enhancing labor supply and improving access to employment, skills and competences (Guideline 6), enhancing the functioning of labor markets and the effectiveness of social dialogue (Guideline 7), and promoting equal opportunities for all, fostering social inclusion and fighting poverty (Guideline 8). In addition, the Joint Employment Report monitors Member States’ performance in relation to the Social Scoreboard set up in the context of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The Pillar was proclaimed jointly by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on 17 November 2017. It identifies principles and rights in three areas: i) equal opportunities and access to the labor market, ii) fair working conditions, and iii) social protection and inclusion. Monitoring of progress in these areas is underpinned by a detailed analysis of the Social Scoreboard accompanying the Pillar. The Joint Employment Report is structured as follows: an introductory chapter (Chapter 1) reports on main labor market and social trends in the European Union, to set the scene. Chapter 2 presents the main results from the analysis of the social scoreboard associated with the European Pillar of Social Rights. Chapter 3 provides a detailed cross-country description of key indicators (including from the social scoreboard), looking at Member States’ performance, challenges and policies implemented to address the Guidelines for Employment Policies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Andersen, Ditte (2020): Stuck! Welfare state dependency as lived experience. In: European Societies, Jg. 22, H. 3, S. 317-336. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2019.1616796

Abstract

"The concern that public support may spur dependency has been voiced throughout the history of welfare states. Nevertheless, little research examines the experience of welfare state dependency in the context of recipients' everyday lives. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of a case involving Anna, who depends on the Danish welfare system for financial benefits and other forms of support. The study spans five years from age 19 to 24, and includes some of the significant others in Anna's everyday life - her mother, who also depends on welfare, and her caseworkers. By situating Anna's experiences in a temporal and social context, the case study advances a nuanced understanding of welfare state dependency and identifies three driving forces of the experience: (1) the concern about intergenerational transmission of dependency that spurs a shared sense of hopelessness among Anna and her significant others; (2) the recurrent changes of diagnoses that adds to the feeling of dependency by repeatedly generating waiting time, e.g. for new psychiatric assessments; (3) the system's requirement to produce numerous but sketchy future plans that lack real-world plausibility. The case study clarifies the importance that respectable exits out of welfare state dependency are not only imaginable but also believable." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Benda, Luc, Ferry Koster & Romke van der Veen (2020): Activation is not a panacea: Active labour market policy, long-term unemployment and institutional complementarity. In: Journal of social policy, Jg. 49, H. 3, S. 483-506. DOI:10.1017/S0047279419000515

Abstract

"Evaluation studies of active labour market policy show different activation measures generate contradictory results. In the present study, we argue that these contradictory results are due to the fact that the outcomes of activation measures depend on other institutions. The outcome measure in this study is the long-term unemployment rate. Two labour market institutions are of special interest in this context: namely, employment protection and unemployment benefits. Both institutions, depending on their design, may either increase or decrease the effectiveness of active labour market policies in lowering long-term unemployment. Based on an analysis of macro-level data on 20 countries over a period of 16 years, our results show that employment protection strictness and unemployment benefit generosity interact with the way in which active labour market policies relate to long-term unemployment. Our results also indicate that, depending on the measure used, active labour market policies fit either in a flexible or in a coordinated labour market. This suggests that active labour market policies can adhere to both institutional logics, which are encapsulated in different types of measures." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bruckmeier, Kerstin & Regina Konle-Seidl (2020): Folgen der Corona-Krise für die sozialen Sicherungssysteme im Ländervergleich (Serie "Corona-Krise: Folgen für den Arbeitsmarkt"). In: IAB-Forum H. 02.10.2020 Nürnberg, o. Sz., 2020-10-01.

Abstract

"Ähnlich wie in Deutschland hat die Corona-Krise auch in anderen Ländern Lücken in der sozialen Absicherung bestimmter Beschäftigtengruppen offenbart. Um diese in der Krise besser zu schützen, wurde eine Reihe von Sozialleistungen länderübergreifend ausgeweitet. Gleichwohl besteht auch über die Krise hinaus Handlungsbedarf. So bedarf es etwa in Deutschland vor allem einer grundlegenden Reform der Minijobs und einer besseren Absicherung von Solo-Selbstständigen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Grandia, Jolien, Yvonne M. La Grouw & Peter M. Kruyen (2020): Motivating the unemployed: A full-range model of motivational strategies that caseworkers use to activate clients. In: Social policy and administration, Jg. 54, H. 3, S. 375-389. DOI:10.1111/spol.12540

Abstract

"Governments use activation policies to stimulate unemployed citizens in finding work. Caseworkers are, as front-line workers, responsible for concrete activation trajectories based on these activation policies. Little is known about how caseworkers try to get clients to participate in these activation trajectories. In a qualitative, inductive study (consisting of observations and reflective interviews) in two welfare agencies, we identified 10 motivational strategies that caseworkers employed. The full-range leadership model appeared to be an appropriate perspective to understand, systematize, and reflect on these strategies, in particular as our analyses show that these motivational strategies can be placed on a continuum ranging from laissez-faire to transactional and transformational strategies. We found that caseworkers matched their motivational strategy to the situation and client but preferred transformational strategies. Our findings implicate chances but also challenges for activation in practice and literature on front-line workers." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Hansen, Helle Cathrine (2020): From problems to barriers: A bottom-up perspective on the institutional framing of a labour activation programme. In: Social policy and society, Jg. 19, H. 1, S. 75-87. DOI:10.1017/S1474746419000241

Abstract

"Human resource development (HRD) approaches aim to increase service users' labour market prospects through training and upskilling. However, research on activation policy implementation suggests that individualised, tailored measures may be difficult to implement because of organisational structures, standardised procedures, contradictory professional interests, and broad framework laws. This qualitative study explored the institutional framing of the Norwegian Qualification Programme and how that framing created barriers in service users' trajectories towards labour market inclusion. The study applied a bottom-up perspective to analyse how these barriers are entangled in a multidimensional web of interrelated and sometimes contradictory relations. Highlighting the service users' perspective, the study aimed to examine how institutional framing may interfere with the activation policy goal of qualifying service users for the labour market. The results point to how institutional framing governs local practice and creates barriers that ultimately may impede activation policy goals." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Knotz, Carlo Michael (2020): Does Demanding Activation Work? A Comparative Analysis of the Effects of Unemployment Benefit Conditionality on Employment in 21 Advanced Economies, 1980–2012. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 36, H. 1, S. 121-135. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcz041

Abstract

"Whether or not putting the unemployed under greater pressure to seek and accept jobs really helps to raise levels of employment remains a controversially discussed question. Empirical research into this question has so far focused on the micro-level whereas the macro-level effects remain unexplored. This article fills this gap, using a novel comparative dataset on the strictness of job-search and availability requirements and sanction rules for unemployment benefit claimants in 21 countries between 1980 and 2012. It is shown that requiring more active job-search and availability for a wider range of jobs does indeed lead to increased employment, while no evidence for a similar positive effect of tougher sanction rules on employment is found. The data do indicate, however, that sanction rules are themselves a product of adverse labour market conditions. Interactive estimations also suggest a negative moderating influence of tough sanction rules on the effectiveness of stricter conditions, whereas more generous unemployment insurance and assistance benefits appear to strengthen the effects of stricter conditions. Overall, the results suggest that to increase employment, the treatment of the unemployed may be demanding but should not be punitive and should include supportive elements, providing claimants with the resources they need to effectively look for work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Millar, Jane & Tess Ridge (2020): No margin for error: Fifteen years in the working lives of lone mothers and their children. In: Journal of social policy, Jg. 49, H. 1, S. 1-17. DOI:10.1017/S0047279418000752

Abstract

"Over the past two decades, the emphasis on paid work has become one of the defining features of social security policy in the UK. Lone mothers and their families have been one of the key groups affected. In this article we focus on the working and family lives of lone mothers and their children over time, drawing on material from a long-term qualitative research study, and setting this in the context of policy developments. We explore the long-term consequences of trying to sustain work, and manage low-income family life as children grow up and needs change over time. This highlights some of the tensions and limitations in family support and relationships when resources are limited. We reflect on the links between insecurity, legacies and the state." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Morris, Lydia (2020): Activating the Welfare subject : The problem of agency. In: Sociology, Jg. 54, H. 2, S. 275-291. DOI:10.1177/0038038519867635

Abstract

"While accepting Banton's recently expressed view that sociology and social policy are distinct disciplines, this article argues that times of radical change can profitably bring the two into closer dialogue. Considering an argument from Emirbayer and Mische that agency becomes especially apparent in unsettled times, it focuses on conceptions of agency at play in the design and implementation of recent UK welfare reforms, and in subsequent legal challenges. Identifying a series of key measures in the Welfare Reform Act of 2012 and the Welfare and Work Act of 2016, this article examines the challenges that have ensued, and the way that agency is revealed as both a site of disciplinary control and as a focus for contestation, pitting the purposive rationality of welfare reform against the practical reason that emerges from claimant experience." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Naumann, Elias, Wouter De Tavernier, Laura Naegele & Moritz Hess (2020): Public support for sanctioning older unemployed. A survey experiment in 21 European countries. In: European Societies, Jg. 22, H. 1, S. 77-100. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2019.1660394

Abstract

"The public opinion literature has found that the age of the benefit recipient is an important determinant in the formation of welfare state attitudes. Older people are perceived as more deserving of help and also punished less for not accepting a job. We argue that such a preferential treatment of older people depends on the social and economic context. In this article, we examine public support for demanding active labour market policies in 21 European countries. Relying on a survey experiment varying the age of the unemployed person, our analysis confirms that older unemployed are punished less than younger unemployed for not accepting a job offer. However, this effect varies between countries and our evidence suggests that support for exempting older individuals from demanding active labour market policies disappears as societies age. Moreover, support for stricter sanctions in general is higher in countries with a higher unemployment rate and in countries that already have rather strict active labour market policies. These findings question the public's role as a veto player in the reform process as it seems unlikely that public opinion will block attempts to further strengthen demanding active labour market policies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ohls, Carolina (2020): Dignity-based practices in Norwegian activation work. In: International Journal of Social Welfare, Jg. 29, H. 2, S. 168-178. DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12388

Abstract

"This qualitative study sought to identify dignity‐based practices in a Norwegian activation programme − the Qualification Programme. Some welfare recipients are likely to experience shame in connection with their interaction with the welfare system. Previous research suggests that a dignity‐based approach could help welfare recipients to avoid such negative experiences. The operational components of dignity have been identified as autonomy, empathy and rights. Data gathered through individual interviews with participants and activation workers were examined using interpretative phenomenological analysis with a focus on exploring respondents’ perceptions of events to which they ascribe meaning. The findings indicate that accounts of empathy were common, but that the study’s participants seldom reported experiencing that their autonomy and rights were enhanced. Participation in the programme appeared to undermine the participants’ dignity, particularly when individual needs were overlooked. An underlying reason could be the current move away from a comprehensive understanding of service users’ different needs and to a narrow focus on employability." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Osiander, Christopher & Monika Senghaas (2020): Woran orientieren sich Einschätzungen zur Zumutbarkeit einer Beschäftigung? Befunde aus einer Vignettenbefragung. In: Zeitschrift für Sozialreform, Jg. 66, H. 1, S. 3-34., 2019-05-22. DOI:10.1515/zsr-2020-0002

Abstract

"Dieser Beitrag geht der Frage nach, unter welchen Bedingungen die Ablehnung von Stellenangeboten durch Empfänger/-innen von Arbeitslosengeld als (un-)zumutbar gilt. Wir untersuchen dies anhand einer Vignettenstudie, in deren Rahmen wir Teilnehmenden an einer Online-Befragung mehrere Beschreibungen fiktiver Arbeitsloser vorlegen, die Stellenangebote erhalten und ablehnen. Empirisch zeigt sich, dass Abschläge im Vergleich zum früheren Einkommen dazu führen, dass Befragte eine Stelle als weniger zumutbar einschätzen. Dasselbe gilt, wenn das Anforderungsniveau niedriger ist. Außerdem wird Älteren eher zugestanden, ein Stellenangebot abzulehnen als Jüngeren; umgekehrt ist es bei Personen, die bereits in der Vergangenheit arbeitslos waren. Die Zahl der verfügbaren Stellen und die Art der angebotenen Tätigkeit (Zeitarbeit, Befristung) beeinflussen das Urteil hingegen nicht." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Ranaldi, Marco (2020): Distributional Aspects of Economic Systems. (Stone Center On Socio-Economic Inequality. Working paper series 05), New York, NY, 54 S. DOI:10.31235/osf.io/n7wj4

Abstract

"This paper proposes a methodology to jointly analyze the distributions of capital and labor and of saving and consumption across the population. Hinging on the novel concept of income composition inequality and on its technical assessment through a specific indicator, this paper classifies economic systems by bringing together these two distributions in a two-dimensional box. Economic systems can be classified as Kaldorian Systems or as Representative Agent Systems depending on their position in the box. In Kaldorian Systems, the rich individuals save capital income and the poor individuals consume labor income. In Representative Agent Systems, all individuals are identical in terms of ownership and behaviors. The paper illustrates this methodology via an empirical application to the European context, in which two major clusters of economic systems – Mediterranean and Northern European – emerge. Furthermore, this paper illustrates how the classification proposed can be useful in understanding a country’s long-run performance in terms of capital accumulation, inequality and growth." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Whitworth, Adam (2020): Activating spatial inequality: the case of the UK Work Programme. In: The Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, Jg. 28, H. 2, S. 207-226. DOI:10.1332/175982720X15803104493984

Abstract

"International evidence finds consistent equity concerns in quasi-marketised activation policies in terms of systematically worse experiences and outcomes for service users with greater support needs. However, equivalent risks around spatial inequalities are neglected within policy debates and empirical analyses. This article responds to that ongoing geographical gap through rich spatial analysis of the UK’s Work Programme, a vanguard experiment in aggressively quasi-marketised employment activation policy. Findings show consistent evidence for spatial inequalities in outcomes patterned according to local economic deprivation, with more deprived local authorities losing out on millions of pounds compared to the per capita resourcing in wealthier areas." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2020 Policy Press) ((en))

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Whitworth, Adam & Eleanor Carter (2020): Programme form and service user well-being. Linking theory and evidence. In: Social Policy and Administration, Jg. 54, H. 5, S. 844-858. DOI:10.1111/spol.12582

Abstract

"Since the early 1990s, the “activation turn” has become a standard welfare orthodoxy at the heart of international welfare systems. Although policymakers talk confidently about the well-being gains of activation interventions and their employment outcomes, a growing body of research has focused instead on questions around “activation process well-being”—the potential well-being effects of participation in activation programmes themselves. The present article makes three main contributions to the theory, knowledge, and policy practice of this activation well-being literature. First, the paper develops an original conceptual framework that newly connects well-being theory, qualitative variation in programmatic form, and empirically testable well-being expectations for participating service users. Second, the paper uses multivariate statistical analyses to examine six conceptually derived hypotheses around variation in programme forms and implications for participating service users' well-being, drawing on the case study of U.K. activation policy. Noteworthy is the paper's unique distributional insights into well-being effects across different types of service users. Third, the paper offers new policy contributions around the relevance of policy form to service user well-being as well as important pointers to key programme features in this regard." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Europäische Kommission. Generaldirektion Beschäftigung, Soziales und Integration (2020): Joint Employment Report 2020. As adopted by the EPSCO Council on 8 April 2020. (Joint employment report), Brüssel, 133 S.

Abstract

"The Joint Employment Report (JER) by the European Commission and the Council is mandated by Article 148 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). The initial proposal for this report by the European Commission is part of the Autumn package, which includes the Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy launching the European Semester cycle. The Joint Employment Report provides an annual overview of key employment and social developments in Europe as well as Member States' reform actions, in line with the Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States. The reporting on these reforms follows the structure of the Guidelines: boosting demand for labor (Guideline 5), enhancing labour supply and improving access to employment, skills and competences (Guideline 6), enhancing the functioning of labour markets and the effectiveness of social dialogue (Guideline 7), and promoting equal opportunities for all, fostering social inclusion and combatting poverty (Guideline 8). In addition, the Joint Employment Report monitors Member States' performance in relation to the Social Scoreboard set up in the context of the European Pillar of Social Rights. The Pillar was proclaimed jointly by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on 17 November 2017. It identifies principles and rights in three areas: i) equal opportunities and access to the labor market, ii) fair working conditions, and iii) social protection and inclusion. Monitoring of progress in these areas is underpinned by a detailed analysis of the Social Scoreboard accompanying the Pillar. The Joint Employment Report is structured as follows: an introductory chapter (Chapter 1) reports on main labor market and social trends in the European Union, to set the scene. Chapter 2 presents the main results from the analysis of the social scoreboard associated with the European Pillar of Social Rights. Chapter 3 provides a detailed cross-country description of key indicators (including from the social scoreboard) and policies implemented by Member States to address the Guidelines for Employment Policies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"The European Union Program for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) provides financial support to promote a high level of quality and sustainable employment, guarantee adequate and decent social protection, combat social exclusion and poverty, and improve working conditions across the EU. With a view to the regular monitoring of the program, the EaSI Regulation foresees that ‘the Commission shall draw up initial qualitative and quantitative monitoring reports covering consecutive two-year periods.’ This is the third EaSI Performance Monitoring Report presenting the results achieved by the program in 2017-2018. It focuses on the products (outputs) delivered by the program and the benefits they brought in 2017-2018. In 2017 and 2018, the Commission committed more than EUR 257 million for the implementation of all the program’s activities. The implementation of EaSI Work Programmes in 2017 and 2018 was well in line with the EaSI Regulation. The following positive developments were noted in 2017-2018: EaSI-funded policy evidence remained sound and highly useful in the view of the stakeholders. EaSI-funded events continued providing much-appreciated platforms for effective and inclusive information sharing, mutual learning and dialogue in relevant policy fields. EU-funded support for social policy innovations gained more visibility; The use of the EURES Job Mobility Portal was rather uneven from one year to another, but the number of registered users increased. EURES remained a catalyst for effective recruitment and placing of workers, organized through cross-border partnerships and targeted mobility schemes. 2017-2018 marked a strong period for the Microfinance and Social Entrepreneurship axis. Microfinance support continued to provide real added value. In 2018, 27 contracts worth EUR 57.4 million were signed with microfinance intermediaries, which resulted in 47 684 microloans worth EUR 129.3 million (the leverage of 4.4 was achieved). EaSI support for social enterprises has taken momentum. In total, 949 social enterprises had received funding through the EaSI Social Entrepreneurship Window by the end of 2018." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ahmad, Nisar, Michael Savrer & Amjad Naveed (2019): The effect of active labour market programmes and benefit sanctions on reducing unemployment duration. In: Journal of labor research, Jg. 40, H. 2, S. 202-229. DOI:10.1007/s12122-019-09288-x

Abstract

"The purpose of this paper is to simultaneously investigate whether the active labour market programmes (ALMPs) and the imposition of benefit sanctions help unemployed insured workers in Denmark to find a job sooner than those who do not get any activation. Earlier studies have modelled ALMPs and benefit sanctions separately, which may have resulted in over- or underestimation of the true effect. As part of our empirical methodology, we used a multivariate mixed proportional hazard model and optimally selected the number of support points for the specification of unobserved heterogeneity distribution in our sample. Our results revealed that the impositions of both benefit sanctions and employment subsidies in the private sector have a positive impact on reducing unemployment duration. Some policy implications are drawn." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Bruckmeier, Kerstin & Regina Konle-Seidl (2019): Reforming the German basic income system in international perspective: yes to new avenues, no to a fundamental change. In: IAB-Forum H. 12.12.2019, o. Sz., 2019-12-04.

Abstract

"In Germany, politicians and the public have been debating for quite some time now whether the means-tested basic income scheme, colloquially referred to as Hartz IV, should be fundamentally reformed or even replaced by an unconditional basic income. Discussions, pilot projects and reform-attempts in this area can also be observed in other countries. A look beyond national borders is therefore highly instructive for the German - and international - reform debate." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Buss, Christopher (2019): Public opinion towards workfare policies in Europe. Polarisation of attitudes in times of austerity? In: International journal of social welfare, Jg. 28, H. 4, S. 431-441. DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12368

Abstract

"Increasing wage inequality, strong labour market divides and welfare retrenchment are widely believed to result in more polarised public opinion towards the welfare state. The present study examined if attitudes towards workfare policies have become more polarised in Europe over recent decades. To achieve this aim, the study analysed public opinion data from the European Value Study (EVS) from 23 European countries in the years 1990 - 2008, using multi-level regression analysis. It is found that individuals who are most affected by workfare - the unemployed, the poor and the young - most strongly oppose workfare concepts. Against expectations, there was no evidence of an increasing polarisation of attitudes in Europe. Attitudinal cleavages based on employment status, income and education have remained stable. Differences between age groups have even dissolved because younger cohorts increasingly favour strict workfare policies. The results suggest that warnings of increasing social conflicts and an erosion of solidarity in European societies are exaggerated" (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))