Hardback
Unemployment and Activation Policies in Europe and the US
This insightful book presents a detailed analysis of the activation policies utilized by governments across Europe and the US. Editors Henning Jørgensen and Michaela Schulze bring together a wealth of experts to collate key developments and understandings in global activation policies, acknowledging the different ways in which countries and governments attempt to combat unemployment and the importance of subnational governance capabilities.
More Information
Critical Acclaim
Contents
More Information
This insightful book presents a detailed analysis of the activation policies utilized by governments across Europe and the US. Editors Henning Jørgensen and Michaela Schulze bring together a wealth of experts to collate key developments in activation policies, acknowledging the different ways in which countries and governments attempt to combat unemployment and the importance of subnational governance capabilities.
Contributing authors explore multiple activation policies through political, policy, polity, economic and cultural lenses, outlining the consequences of these for the unemployed and other actors involved. In particular, partisan politics and central steering experienced in the UK, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Switzerland and the US are analyzed, as well as social security and labour market policies developed in the Netherlands, Norway and Germany. The book emphasizes the advantages of investigating national rather than cross-national studies as they bring to the forefront crucial actors and administrative systems that affect activation reforms. Ultimately, it highlights why and how activation is developed in different ways in national systems and advocates for further research as activation is entering a new phase.
Unemployment and Activation Policies in Europe and the US is an excellent resource for students and researchers specialising in comparative social policy, public policy, labour market policy and the sociology of work.
Contributing authors explore multiple activation policies through political, policy, polity, economic and cultural lenses, outlining the consequences of these for the unemployed and other actors involved. In particular, partisan politics and central steering experienced in the UK, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Switzerland and the US are analyzed, as well as social security and labour market policies developed in the Netherlands, Norway and Germany. The book emphasizes the advantages of investigating national rather than cross-national studies as they bring to the forefront crucial actors and administrative systems that affect activation reforms. Ultimately, it highlights why and how activation is developed in different ways in national systems and advocates for further research as activation is entering a new phase.
Unemployment and Activation Policies in Europe and the US is an excellent resource for students and researchers specialising in comparative social policy, public policy, labour market policy and the sociology of work.
Critical Acclaim
‘Focusing on Western Europe and the United States, and gathering scholars with an in-depth knowledge of the country cases at hand, this most informative and well-crafted book uses both historical and recent policy developments to map the ways in which activation varies across national social policy systems.’
– Daniel Béland, McGill University, Canada
‘This group of highly qualified scholars present cutting-edge research on the development of active labour market policies in a large variety of countries with different welfare regimes. A solid and very welcome update to our understanding of what active labour market policy is and how it has developed over time.’
– Bent Greve, University of Roskilde, Denmark
– Daniel Béland, McGill University, Canada
‘This group of highly qualified scholars present cutting-edge research on the development of active labour market policies in a large variety of countries with different welfare regimes. A solid and very welcome update to our understanding of what active labour market policy is and how it has developed over time.’
– Bent Greve, University of Roskilde, Denmark
Contents
Contents
1 Introduction: Unemployment and activation policies in
Europe and the US 1
Henning Jørgensen and Michaela Schulze
2 Understandings of activation 29
Henning Jørgensen and Michaela Schulze
3 Crisis and political power relations: the development of
activation policies in Austria before and after COVID 54
Simon Theurl and Silvia Hofbauer
4 The Danish case: activation in flux and fraught with tensions 76
Henning Jørgensen and Mads Peter Klindt
5 Activation in the universal welfare state: the case of Finland 100
Minna van Gerven and Aleksander Heikkinen
6 An activation U-turn? From pro-market employment
orientation to investment in human capital 121
Werner Eichhorst and Michaela Schulze
7 Activation policies in the Netherlands: the vicissitudes of
general social policy and activating labour market policies
since the 1990s 145
Romke van der Veen and Ferry Koster
8 Norway: activation in the labouring society 160
Ivan Harsløf and Ivar Lødemel
9 Institutional fragmentation and low effectiveness in the
Spanish activation turn 179
Laureano Martinez and Begoña Cueto
10 Switzerland: activation in a fragmented welfare state 203
Giuliano Bonoli
11 Between extension and emasculation: the UK activation
regime in the 21st century 217
Daniel Clegg
12 Activation in the United States: low effort, fragmented
administration, and poor performance 241
Ian Greer
13 Concluding remarks to a changing activation world 260
Henning Jørgensen and Michaela Schulze
1 Introduction: Unemployment and activation policies in
Europe and the US 1
Henning Jørgensen and Michaela Schulze
2 Understandings of activation 29
Henning Jørgensen and Michaela Schulze
3 Crisis and political power relations: the development of
activation policies in Austria before and after COVID 54
Simon Theurl and Silvia Hofbauer
4 The Danish case: activation in flux and fraught with tensions 76
Henning Jørgensen and Mads Peter Klindt
5 Activation in the universal welfare state: the case of Finland 100
Minna van Gerven and Aleksander Heikkinen
6 An activation U-turn? From pro-market employment
orientation to investment in human capital 121
Werner Eichhorst and Michaela Schulze
7 Activation policies in the Netherlands: the vicissitudes of
general social policy and activating labour market policies
since the 1990s 145
Romke van der Veen and Ferry Koster
8 Norway: activation in the labouring society 160
Ivan Harsløf and Ivar Lødemel
9 Institutional fragmentation and low effectiveness in the
Spanish activation turn 179
Laureano Martinez and Begoña Cueto
10 Switzerland: activation in a fragmented welfare state 203
Giuliano Bonoli
11 Between extension and emasculation: the UK activation
regime in the 21st century 217
Daniel Clegg
12 Activation in the United States: low effort, fragmented
administration, and poor performance 241
Ian Greer
13 Concluding remarks to a changing activation world 260
Henning Jørgensen and Michaela Schulze
