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Activation as the Opportunity to Be Outsiders? Social Assistance Beneficiaries Engaged in Public Works

Citizenship
Social Policy
Investment
Qualitative
Silvia Girardi
KU Leuven

Abstract

The paper challenges the neo-liberal economic view that supply-side interventions for integration in the labour market of socially vulnerable groups through activation and employability policies inevitably lead to reduced inequality by raising social inclusion for those groups. We add to existing criticisms towards labour market activation policies within the social investment (S.I.) perspective in social policy (e.g. Levitas, 2005; Jenson, 2009; Cantillon, 2011; Clasen and Clegg, 2011; Crouch and Keune, 2012; Cantillon and Van Lancker, 2013; Saraceno, 2015; Hemerijck, 2017) using a multidimensional concept of social inclusion based on the idea of inclusion as access and exercise of social rights (Cohen, 2015). In particular, we challenge the S.I. subordination of social inclusion goals to labour market integration by looking at how access to employment through ALMP can favour the social inclusion of people receiving social assistance. We illustrate that access to social rights and legal status are fundamental preliminary conditions to foster social inclusion, thereby guaranteeing an adequate and sustainable labour market integration, which will need to be supported by ‘decent’ working conditions for these people. Specifically, in this paper, we look at how labour market integration through active labour market policies (ALMP) can favour the social inclusion of people on social assistance and, in turn, address existing social inequalities. We ground our arguments on empirical findings based on a qualitative study based on 25 semi structured in-depth qualitative interviews with people receiving social assistance in Luxembourg who have been included in the labour market through public works as ALMP. We refer to public works as working activities, usually in the public or non-profit sector with the aim of socializing people to work and avoiding citizens’ social exclusion (Bonoli, 2012). In Luxembourg, public works have the peculiarity of being granted for about one year and in principle renewable for an undefined amount of time. The potentially undefined duration of public works and the fact that beneficiaries are not granted the legal status of employee, makes the Luxembourgish scheme an interesting case to address the relation between labour market integration and social inclusion for social assistance beneficiaries. We find that, despite public works (and more in general ALMP) are narrated as opportunities of inclusion through working experience, integration in the labour market per se does not necessarily guarantee social inclusion and that people working for social assistance remain outsiders if they cannot access and exercise their social rights because of lack of financial resources, legal working status and stigma. Therefore, the main assumption of the S.I. approach that providing people with a job would inevitably promote their social inclusion, does not find empirical support in the case of the Luxembourgish public works programme for social assistance beneficiaries. As a conclusion, policy strategies that subordinate social goals to economic goals might be unable to deliver on their social premises and end up reproducing existing inequalities.