Activation Policies in the Move Towards the KBS
Activation is a key notion in the EES, and a main thrust of the ESM as presented by the European institutions. It has been understood in the EES as a key principle in the process of adapting our societies to changes in the production model, changes conceptualised by the EU institutions in the phrase 'movement towards a knowledge-based society'.
Description
This principle is used to make transformation ('modernisation') of the welfare state the condition for adaptation of the ESM to the new conditions of production.As such, activation is (in some cases at least) more than a new intervention paradigm; it might indeed call for a radical transformation of the representation of the social question. In any case, the key issue about activation is that it raises the question of the extent to which employment policies are solely about intervention in the labour market, and whether good intervention paradigms might need to redefine not only the interrelationships between the different facets of social policy, such as training, taxes, participation in the labour market, etc., but also the role of the individual, of the welfare state, of the family and of other institutions. The activation paradigm is seen by the EU institutions as an appropriate tool for dealing with economic obstacles in the move towards the KBS (provision of training, participation, etc. good quality and quantity of human resources), but also with the 'sociological' obstacles encountered in the course of this process (redefinition of the WS, of citizenship, etc).In an earlier project we sought to establish whether the EES has succeeded in bringing about any convergence among activation policies for young people in Europe, and, if so, what is the nature of this convergence process. Some of the conclusions show that, although there appears to be some convergence in the integration of activation as a paradigm for intervention, the meaning of activation varies according to country and is supported and justified by different cultural values. Therefore, although all are labelled 'active' policies, their consequences vary considerably depending on their quality, the institutional framework designed to empower the group of people affected by these policies, and the situation on the labour market. We see some elements of convergence, but it is difficult to reach conclusions about real convergence when the meaning of activation is so different from country to country. Therefore, in terms of findings, this research has raised more questions than it has reached conclusions.Some of the questions raised by this research (see Serrano 2003, forthcoming) are,
- What makes an active policy a high-quality policy? Are these activation policies promoting high-quality human resources? Might they be in contradiction with the KBS demand for a high-quality workforce? To what extent might activation policies contribute to a deterioration of the labour market?
- As high-quality activation policies require, by definition, closer cooperation between departments, to what extent might activation policies promoted by the EES contribute to better cooperation between different departments inside the EU government (fiscal, educational, economic, social affairs, etc.)? What are the main departments concerned by activation policies? Has the EES served to empower some departments (training, social affairs, fiscal, etc.) /social groups, enabling them to influence the policy-making of national governments?
- Does the EES serve as a socialisation process? Are the NAPs delivering moralistic messages about how workers should behave and be treated? Are the EES used to pressure the member states towards convergence on the basis of a more individualistic notion of solidarity or are they used to legitimate unpopular neo-liberal policies?
- To what extent are the activation policies promoted at the national level the result of the EES? Is there any evidence of any occurrence of a learning process and, if so, what is the nature of this (un)learning process? Has the example of other countries been used in public debates to make it easier to push through unpopular reforms? Could activation be seen, in that case, as a political tool for some policy-makers?
- What are the main obstacles to the appropriate implementation of active policies? What are the terms of the national debates about these policies? To what extent have these debates been framed by EU institutions?In seeking to answer these questions, the methodology proposed is to work, as in previous years, with a team of national experts well qualified on activation policies and the EES, and to confront them with a list of more precise questions to tackle. We would like to identify the main thrusts around which National active policies have been developed (and the potential role played by the EU institutions); to analyse the main empirical evidence about the results of these policies, and the potential link with deregulation processes on the labour market; to discuss the quality of these active policies; and to make some qualitative interviews with relevant persons from different departments of National administrations in each National report. It might also be interesting to obtain, insofar as is possible, some thoughts on the extent to which the activation paradigm promoted by the EES is reflected in the mass media, and in national-level policy debates. As the dynamics behind active policies can vary a lot from one area to another, and because active policies have been structured in terms of target group rather than other sociological criteria, we wish to focus on one target group, namely, young people, but might incorporate some comparative elements of development regarding other target groups.This research has two main analytical frameworks. The first seeks to provide a contribution to the debate about the process of convergence promoted by the EES, and to analyse the regulatory nature of the OMC of the EU institutions. The second seeks to contribute to the debate on monitoring the main concepts promoted by the EU. This is particularly important after this year's revision of the EEG, which makes activation even more important than was the case in the previous guidelines.
Researchers
Publications
Last modified: 20/05/2006 10:10 am
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