Research on active social policy

Academic interest on active social policy goes back to the late 1990s and continues today. This chapter follows a loosely chronological review of earlier research. It begins by discussing early debates about conceptualization and definitions of active social policy, subsequently moving on to research on policy impacts in the two areas of active labor market policy and early childhood education and care. Research on Matthew effects of many active social policies is also addressed, as is research on the political economy of active policies. The latter shows that active social policy has some broad appeal with large sections of the electorate, but is unlikely to generate strong popular support. Suggestions of areas for further research build on these insights and include perceptions of deservingness in relation to activation, access bias in many active policies, and the role of active policy in managing emerging multicultural societies.