Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/35570 
Year of Publication: 
2008
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 3905
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
The trend towards activation has been one of the major issues in recent welfare and labour market reforms in Europe and the US. Despite considerable initial variation across national models with respect to the scope and intensity of activation, redefining the link between social protection and labour market policies on the one hand and employment on the other has been a common issue in labour market reforms. The paper shows the development of activation policies in terms of basic principles, instruments, target groups and governance in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the US, Sweden and Denmark. It assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of activation policies in terms of bringing the jobless into work and ensuring sustainable independence from social benefits. Based on national activation trajectories, the paper argues that we can observe a contingent convergence of instruments, target groups, governance modes and outcomes so that established typologies of activation strategies have to be questioned.
Subjects: 
Activation
active labor market policies
unemployment insurance
social assistance
JEL: 
J65
J68
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
396.08 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.