Insertion as an alternative to workfare: active labour-market schemes in the Parisian suburbs

Article


Schulte, L., Greer, I., Umney, C., Symon, G. and Iankova, K. 2018. Insertion as an alternative to workfare: active labour-market schemes in the Parisian suburbs. Journal of European Social Policy. 28 (4), pp. 326-341. https://doi.org/10.1177/0958928717739237
TypeArticle
TitleInsertion as an alternative to workfare: active labour-market schemes in the Parisian suburbs
AuthorsSchulte, L., Greer, I., Umney, C., Symon, G. and Iankova, K.
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.

PublisherSage
JournalJournal of European Social Policy
ISSN0958-9287
Publication dates
Online26 Dec 2017
Print01 Oct 2018
Publication process dates
Deposited16 Jun 2017
Accepted24 Apr 2017
Output statusPublished
Accepted author manuscript
Copyright Statement

Lisa Schulte, Ian Greer, Charles Umney, Graham Symon, Katia Iankova, Insertion as an alternative to workfare: active labour market schemes in the Parisian suburbs, Journal of European Social Policy. Vol 28, Issue 4, pp. 326 - 341. Copyright © 2017 (The Authors). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1177/0958928717739237
LanguageEnglish
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