Schulte, Lisa, Greer, Ian, Umney, Charles, Iankova, Katia and Symon, Graham (2017) Insertion as an alternative to workfare: active labour market schemes in the Parisian suburbs. Journal of European Social Policy, 28 (4). pp. 326-341. ISSN 0958-9287 (Print), 1461-7269 (Online) (doi:10.1177/0958928717739237)

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Abstract

Many governments have tightened the link between welfare and work by attaching conditionality to out-of-work benefits, extending these requirements to new client groups, and imposing market competition and greater managerial control in service delivery – principles typically characterised as ‘workfare’. Based on field research in Seine-Saint-Denis, we examine French ‘insertion’ schemes aimed at disadvantaged but potentially job-ready clients, characterized by weak conditionality, low marketization, strong professional autonomy, and local network control. We show that insertion systems have resisted policy attempts to expand workfare derived principles, reflecting street-level actors’ belief in the key advantages of the former over the latter. In contrast with arguments stressing institutional and cultural stickiness, our explanation for this resistance thus highlights the decentralized network governance of front-line services and the limits to central government power.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	welfare reform, labour markets, marketisation
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Business Faculty of Business > Centre for Work and Employment Research (CREW) Faculty of Business > Centre for Work and Employment Research (CREW) > Work & Employment Research Unit (WERU) Faculty of Business > Department of Human Resources & Organisational Behaviour
Related URLs:	Publisher
Last Modified:	29 Apr 2020 10:32
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/18101

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