Déborah Galster, Emilie Rosenstein and Jean‐Michel Bonvin
The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of the current trend towards integrating employment policies against Amartya Sen's capability approach. By contrast with the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of the current trend towards integrating employment policies against Amartya Sen's capability approach. By contrast with the conventional efficiency measures, it focuses on two main issues: to what extent does the integration of policies result in more performing programs when it comes to empowering the beneficiaries? What is the impact of integrated programs in terms of freedom to choose and capability for voice? These issues are investigated against a Swiss case study, i.e. the CII‐MAMAC project.
Design/methodology/approach
An investigation relying on qualitative interviews conducted with 25 local agents and managers belonging to the various institutions engaged in the CII‐MAMAC project and an in‐depth documentary survey of the official texts (laws, directives, etc.).
Findings
Integrating employment policies is very ambivalent in terms of both empowerment and freedom to choose. On the one hand, it can certainly lead to an increased effort in terms of empowerment, while on the other hand, it may reinforce paternalistic views of the welfare state envisaging the beneficiary as an obedient subject, rather than an active citizen. All in all, integration cannot be seen as the panacea to problems of inefficiency and unfairness in social policies.
Research limitations/implications
The paper focuses on one case study. Other in‐depth investigations are needed for issuing more general conclusions.
Originality/value
The paper demonstrates that using the capability approach to assess public policies opens new paths for evaluation research in this field.
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Jean‐Michel Bonvin and Michael Orton
The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief introduction to activation policies, then discuss the capability approach, in particular highlighting a number of key concepts…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief introduction to activation policies, then discuss the capability approach, in particular highlighting a number of key concepts relevant to the analysis of active labour market policies. The second section presents the articles in this special issue, which address organisational innovation in activation policies and cover: six European countries (including Scandinavia and East and West Europe); an historical perspective; and policies aimed at the general workless population along with those targeted at specific groups e.g. disabled people. The final section emphasises three important teachings from this special issue. This paper introduces the special issue on the theme of activation policies and organisational innovation in the capability perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a normative and analytical framework. Its relevance for empirical fieldwork is then illustrated through a synthesis of the case studies presented in the special issue.
Findings
It is argued that the capability approach provides a highly useful framework for analysis of activation policies. Across the diverse range of organisational innovation examined in the articles in the special issue, a capability perspective allows for identification of a number of common themes and failings.
Originality/value
The originality of the paper lies in the presentation of a diverse range of organisational innovation in relation to activation policies, and using a capability approach as a framework for analysis.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine how recent changes in labour market policy in Poland, such as the activation shift, formal incentives for policies integration and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how recent changes in labour market policy in Poland, such as the activation shift, formal incentives for policies integration and inclusion of private and civil society actors in the policy‐making process, are actually put into practice on the local level. By applying Amartya Sen's capability approach, decisive factors in the process of implementation, the role of normative assumptions in the assessment of unemployed people and the impact of performance indicators on local civil officers’ actions are analyzed.
Design/methodology/approach
The text is based on the results of research conducted with a variety of methods: in‐depth and semi‐structured interviews, analysis of official reports, surveys among enterprises and among the employed, unemployed and inactive.
Findings
The paper shows the limitations of the activation model in Poland. The normative assumptions underlying ALMP lead to reproduction of social inequalities and stigmatisation of unemployed people, whereas the disciplinary approach discourages employers from cooperating with employment services. The increase of resources for the active labour market policy is not translated into an improvement in the quality of services.
Originality/value
Previous researches on labour market policies in Poland are mainly based on quantitative data and analysis of legal regulations. Not enough attention is paid to the actual uses of law and the role of normative assumptions in the process of implementation. The paper attempts to reintroduce the perspective of policy practitioners and beneficiaries that is completely absent from research on labour market policy in Poland.
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The purpose of this paper is to analyse the justifying arguments of various Birmingham organisations between 1870 and 1914 in classifying and treating the unemployed. Using a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the justifying arguments of various Birmingham organisations between 1870 and 1914 in classifying and treating the unemployed. Using a capability approach, the paper will examine how employment policies in Birmingham during this period promoted or limited capabilities of work, life and voice. Finally, implications for labour market policies today will be discussed.
Design/methodology/approach
The theoretical framework for this paper will draw on the capability approach to a person's well‐being, developed by Amartya Sen and on theoretical and empirical developments of the capability approach by other authors such as Bonvin and Salais. This paper is based on historical archival research and analysis.
Findings
Birmingham was an exemplar of municipal social reform in late nineteenth century England, with the development of a range of public services such as education, electricity and public transport. However, the city's vision of civic reform was closely connected to the Liberal market logic of individual responsibility, and moral judgements of the unemployed served to multiply the categories and punitive treatments of the “undeserving”, separating the valid from the invalid citizen.
Originality/value
This case study of municipal employment policies in Birmingham at the turn of the twentieth century demonstrates the implications of moral judgements, classifications and treatments of the unemployed for people's capabilities in work and life, drawing connections to discourses of responsibility and citizenship today.
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Raffaele Monteleone and Carlotta Mozzana
The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an empirical research examining how local agencies interpret and implement a policy instrument that aims at reorganising…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an empirical research examining how local agencies interpret and implement a policy instrument that aims at reorganising fragmented interventions for disabled people employment in Milan. The main aim of this research is to analyse the organisational difficulties and opportunities that this new employment instrument faces and how it changes the courses of action and organisational logics of the local agencies.
Design/methodology/approach
This issue is examined through the analysis of the design and implementation phases. The analytical framework used combines two concepts: capability and policy instruments. The empirical research is based on an in‐depth empirical investigation.
Findings
The paper shows that the Emergo Plan could not transform the way the agencies work: measures are bent and adapted to agencies' organisational routines or to labour market's logics and they do not guarantee adequate social support in order to promote disabled people's capabilities. This has consequences in terms of: chance of projects personalisation; participation and activation of disabled people; and job opportunities.
Research limitations/implications
The paper focuses on one specific case study, the Emergo Plan, and the recipients were not interviewed. Further research is needed in order to assess the discussed issues at a more theoretical level and consider the beneficiaries' voices.
Originality/value
The paper presents some indications about the relation between public administration and local agencies and its implications and consequences in terms of organisational arrangements for public policies and related services.
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Anne E. Green and Michael Orton
The purpose of this paper is to engage with the theme of activation policies and organisational innovation in the capability perspective, from the viewpoint of active labour…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to engage with the theme of activation policies and organisational innovation in the capability perspective, from the viewpoint of active labour market policies in the UK.
Design/methodology/approach
The focus of the article is the City Strategy initiative in Great Britain, which encourages institutions to work together to develop solutions to concentrations of worklessness. The article presents findings from a case study of the introduction of the City Strategy in one English sub‐region: Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. The empirical investigation is based on analysis of documentary evidence including strategy papers and “grey literature” such as minutes of meetings and internal briefings. In addition, the case study draws on in‐depth qualitative interviews conducted with 18 local actors involved in the City Strategy.
Findings
The empirical investigation provides selected evidence of successful public action undertaken through the City Strategy. It discusses issues concerning the benefits of partnership working and inter‐agency cooperation, but also limits that are reached.
Originality/value
The paper identifies elements of the capabilities approach – the idea of situated public action, the importance of local actors, and key concepts of empowerment and voice – as providing a helpful framework for analysis. While the City Strategy represents an interesting example of situated public action to tackle worklessness, it can be argued that what is missing in this instance is what the capabilities approach identifies as key elements of empowerment and voice for local actors.
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Jean‐Michel Bonvin, Maël Dif‐Pradalier and Eric Moachon
The purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent and under which conditions restructuring processes allow workers to effectively voice their concerns, with a view to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent and under which conditions restructuring processes allow workers to effectively voice their concerns, with a view to influencing the restructuring logic and transforming its outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
In‐depth case studies with semi‐structured interviews, documentary analysis and a survey, all conducted at firm‐level (taking also into account the impact of the European Workers’ Council when relevant).
Findings
Both settings (be it the Swiss flexible labour law and collective labour agreements or the protective professional status enjoyed by the French workers) do not guarantee the enhancement of workers’ capability set in restructuring processes. Whatever the entitlements and the cognitive and political resources available to the workers, two conditions are crucial to enhancing their capability for work and for voice: workers’ ability to re‐build collectives; and an adequate regulatory framework imposing on employers and shareholders the duty to negotiate.
Originality/value
The paper suggests another way of assessing restructuring processes and outcomes based on the capability approach, and demonstrates its greater relevance compared to economic or managerialist views of restructuring, based on efficiency and profitability.
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The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of local institution building in active labour market policies (ALMP) in Vienna (Austria). The focus of the study is the WAFF…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of local institution building in active labour market policies (ALMP) in Vienna (Austria). The focus of the study is the WAFF (“Wiener ArbeitnehmerInnenförderungsfonds” – Vienna employee support fund) which was created in 1995.
Design/methodology/approach
This case study was conducted for the Capright‐project (Resources, rights and capabilities). It is based on a documentary analysis, interviews with experts, policy makers and managers of the WAFF and the Public Employment Service.
Findings
While the national system of labour market policy is increasingly moving towards workfare, the analysis shows that the WAFF aims to implement a more inclusive approach to secure social cohesion through programmes and measures to help people to cope with economic restructuring – in particular through training and skill development but also measures to fight social exclusion. A strong reliance on Social Partnership and cooperation pervades the self‐understanding of the WAFF even though institution building was not evolving without conflicts.
Research limitations/implications
The research sheds some light on social and economic developments in Vienna. Further research is needed to come to an in‐depth analysis of the effects of the WAFF's labour market policy activities, e.g. in relation to the national Public Employment Service.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the research about the evolution of labour market policies in cities in the context of recent economic, political and social changes.
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Steven Gascoigne and Noel Whiteside
Using the example of a project dedicated to labour market re‐activation in major shipyards in Sweden (Gothenburg) in the late 1970s, the purpose of this paper is to examine how…
Abstract
Purpose
Using the example of a project dedicated to labour market re‐activation in major shipyards in Sweden (Gothenburg) in the late 1970s, the purpose of this paper is to examine how integrated employment policies may be achieved using more deliberative public action than that offered by New Public Management (NPM).
Design/methodology/approach
Based on original archival research and interviews with ex‐participants, the research reconstructs how this project was designed and operated; its analysis is based on a capability perspective.
Findings
The paper analyses the problems encountered by projects promoting labour market integration and personal capabilities in the context of a productivity drive in a contracting industry that requires the retention of the most productive workers to stave off industrial collapse. It argues that deliberative democracy offers the more effective means for co‐ordinating integrated employment policies than governance strategies associated with NPM.
Practical implications
This paper offers an example highly pertinent to the labour market conditions currently facing European economies in the current financial crisis.
Originality/value
The paper offers original insights into the operation of the Swedish social model in practice, in a context of industrial crisis. Many scholars have analysed this model of labour market management from a national perspective: far fewer have addressed its practical limitations.
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Jean‐Michel Bonvin and Eric Moachon
This article's purpose is to analyse the current transformations of public action in two main respects: on the one side the relationships between individuals and institutions and…
Abstract
Purpose
This article's purpose is to analyse the current transformations of public action in two main respects: on the one side the relationships between individuals and institutions and their recent evolutions, on the other, the new contractual or market‐like ways of designing and implementing public action. This twofold transformation and the extent to which it represents a deep‐seated revolution or a more limited recalibration of the public realm are to be investigated against the case of Swiss active labour market policies.
Design/methodology/approach
This issue is examined through the design of a theoretical and normative typology, which is then applied to the case of active labour market policies in Switzerland, based on an in‐depth empirical investigation (more than 50 interviews with field actors).
Findings
The emergence of new modes of governance coincides with the promotion of market solutions to unemployment, thus leading to a conception of welfare and its individual beneficiaries as subordinate to labour market requirements.
Research limitations/implications
The empirical part of this paper focuses on one specific case, the Swiss ALMPs. Further research is needed for a more general assessment of the issue.
Originality/value
One key element of the approach is the link made between substantial and procedural issues related to recent evolutions in the field of social integration policies. In the authors' view substantial and organisational aspects of the political process should be studied jointly.