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Municipal activation policy: A case study of the practical work with unemployed social assistance recipients

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Listed:
  • Hjertner Thorén, Katarina

    (Växjö University)

Abstract

In the 1990s, many municipalities developed local activation programs for social assistance recipients as a response to increasing social assistance expenditures. This study investigates the practical implementation of municipal activation policies in two different activation programs, Jobbcentrum in Skärholmen and Källan in Osby. The purpose with the study is to highlight how the front-line workers systematically translate activation policy into practice in their interactions with the clients. The study utilizes a street-level bureaucracy perspective, which illuminates the role of bureaucratic and professional discretion and how institutional factors shape the practical responses of front-line staff. Coping behaviors at the ground influences the practical work with activation requirements. The staff develop such coping strategies to manage working conditions marked by ambiguous legislation, organizational pressures, limited resources, and little responsibility for program accountability. Findings from this study suggest that the implementation practices in Skärholmen and Osby frequently diverge from formal intentions of activation policy and the programs’ own goals and descriptions of their work.

Suggested Citation

  • Hjertner Thorén, Katarina, 2005. "Municipal activation policy: A case study of the practical work with unemployed social assistance recipients," Working Paper Series 2005:20, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:ifauwp:2005_020
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    File URL: http://www.ifau.se/upload/pdf/se/2005/wp05-20%203.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel Hedblom & Brent R. Hickman & John A. List, 2019. "Toward an Understanding of Corporate Social Responsibility: Theory and Field Experimental Evidence," NBER Working Papers 26222, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    JEL classification:

    • J60 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - General

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