Abstract
The paper focuses on the unemployed individual and her position in local activation practice. The overall aim is to analyse the role of individualisation of local activation policy in the construction of social citizenship in Sweden. More specifically, we ask: To what extent do
clients have possibilities for individual voice, autonomy and self-determination in the local delivery of activation policy? What barriers do specific organisational models and practices imply for clients to choose, determine and access tailor-made programmes and services?
What policy technologies are at work in governing and responsibilising the unemployed individual? The paper finds that the individualisation that is taking place occurs as an individualisation of responsibility, more than as an individualisation of interventions. A related finding is that the social rights perspective is becoming performance-oriented, and the
normative demands placed on individuals appear increasingly totalizing, concerning the whole individual rather than the job-related aspects only. The paper is based on 23 in-depth interviews with individual clients as well as individual caseworkers and other professionals engaged in client-related work at local level in one Swedish municipality.
clients have possibilities for individual voice, autonomy and self-determination in the local delivery of activation policy? What barriers do specific organisational models and practices imply for clients to choose, determine and access tailor-made programmes and services?
What policy technologies are at work in governing and responsibilising the unemployed individual? The paper finds that the individualisation that is taking place occurs as an individualisation of responsibility, more than as an individualisation of interventions. A related finding is that the social rights perspective is becoming performance-oriented, and the
normative demands placed on individuals appear increasingly totalizing, concerning the whole individual rather than the job-related aspects only. The paper is based on 23 in-depth interviews with individual clients as well as individual caseworkers and other professionals engaged in client-related work at local level in one Swedish municipality.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication date | 2014 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
| Event | The 7th Nordic Working Life Conference. 2014: Threats and Possibilities Facing Nordic Working Life - Campus Haga at University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden Duration: 11 Jun 2014 → 13 Jun 2014 Conference number: 7 http://nwlc2014.com/ |
Conference
| Conference | The 7th Nordic Working Life Conference. 2014 |
|---|---|
| Number | 7 |
| Location | Campus Haga at University of Gothenburg |
| Country | Sweden |
| City | Göteborg |
| Period | 11/06/2014 → 13/06/2014 |
| Internet address |
Cite this
Garsten, C., Hollertz, K., & Jacobsson, K. (2014). Individualizing Services, Individualizing Responsibility: Two Sides of Local Active Inclusion. Paper presented at The 7th Nordic Working Life Conference. 2014, Göteborg, Sweden.