Decentralization and centralization: Governing the activation of social assistance recipients in Europe
International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy
ISSN: 0144-333X
Article publication date: 15 June 2012
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to examine the governance of activation in relation to the decentralization and centralization of activation for social assistance recipients in Sweden, The Netherlands and the UK.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper outlines broad trends in the governance of activation policies in Europe, focusing on processes of decentralization and centralization in Sweden (characterized by a context of shifting national and local level governance of policies, cultivated within a strong tradition of active labour market policies); The Netherlands (where there has been a deliberate shift in governance towards the local level); and the UK (typified by highly centralized decision making in policy design but local variation in delivery).
Findings
The comparison identified different paths of decentralization and examines how these processes interact and overlap with modes of centralization/coordination of policies. Finally, the paper demonstrates the interface between the modes of decentralization and centralization.
Originality/value
The investigation of vertical changes in the governance of activation in three country case studies provides an original in‐depth analysis of types and paths of decentralization and centralization.
Keywords
Citation
Minas, R., Wright, S. and van Berkel, R. (2012), "Decentralization and centralization: Governing the activation of social assistance recipients in Europe", International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 32 No. 5/6, pp. 286-298. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443331211236989
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited