Governance of the activation policies in Europe: Introduction
International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy
ISSN: 0144-333X
Article publication date: 15 June 2012
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this introduction to the special issue is to give an overview of the key aspects of the governance of activation policies as discussed in the existing literature. It explains the focus and contribution of this special issue and provides a brief summary of the main findings in the individual articles.
Design/methodology/approach
In this special issue the comparative analysis of the key aspects of governance of activation policies like centralization/decentralization, new public management, marketization and network governance is covered, accompanied by an assessment of the role of implementation conditions in shaping the real trends of governance reforms of activation policies. Further, the effects of governance reforms and the influence of EU governance on the dynamics of national activation policies are discussed. This comparative analysis leads to a typology of the “worlds of governance” of activation policies in Europe.
Findings
All the countries show certain comparable converging trends in the reforms of governance of activation, although a closer look helps us determine the shape of increasingly different patterns of governance in several respects. In spite of this variety, another general finding is the common discrepancy between aims and effects: the key explanation involves implementation failures. Three governance regimes may be distinguished in the EU countries: committed marketizers, modernizers and slow modernizers.
Originality/value
This paper suggests a new typology of governance regimes.
Keywords
Citation
van Berkel, R., de Graaf, W. and Sirovátka, T. (2012), "Governance of the activation policies in Europe: Introduction", International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 32 No. 5/6, pp. 260-272. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443331211236943
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited