The local dimension of active inclusion policy

Abstract

Active inclusion reforms are radically transforming social policies in Europe. Consequently, the welfare state is changing from a social citizenship approach based on uniform benefits and services towards a system of individualized, targeted welfare intervention. Reforms therefore involve a fundamental re-organization of welfare provision. This transformation is usually discussed as a matter of national regimes for active inclusion and European diffusion of ‘good’ governance. However, active inclusion policies rely on a different social policy approach implying differentiated implementation processes. The implementation of active inclusion reforms can therefore only be understood by taking into account the local level. A series of local studies on French and German minimum income schemes raises questions about national accounts of these schemes, which depict a shift towards workfare. By contrast, this article reveals local variation between market-oriented, bureaucratic and participatory active inclusion strategies dependent on the distinct local governance arrangements.