Abstract:In recent decades, one of the most notable developments in social policy has been the expansion of active labour market policies (ALMPs): training schemes that aim to speed up unemployed people's return to the labour market. At the same time, academic and political attention has begun to rethink the traditional ways in which social policies like ALMPs should be evaluated: away from typically economic-oriented outcomes towards health and social indicators, such as subjective well-being and social capital. This … Show more
“…Studies from Australia, Germany and the UK have found positive effects of activation interventions on participant well‐being, whilst other research from Denmark and Sweden provides mixed results, and in some cases finds no association between participation and subjective well‐being (Sage ), leaving us with a mixed and ambiguous international picture. Of particular relevance to the present article, Sage (, ) finds that participants in UK activation schemes do, on average, report higher levels of well‐being than the openly unemployed, controlling for a range of other factors, leading him to the conclusion that these activation schemes can offer a form of intermediate labour market status between open unemployment and paid work. Importantly, however, although hampered by small sample size, Sage's () findings further suggest variation in process well‐being effects across different types of activation programme.…”
Section: Activation Typologies and Process Well‐being: A Neglected Evmentioning
confidence: 78%
“…Whilst there is much general empirical support for these theories (Creed and Klisch ; Paul and Batinic ; Wulfgramm ; Selenko et al . ), there has however been remarkably little empirical attention specifically on the question of how variation in the type of activation policies links to variation in well‐being effects amongst unemployed people (see Sage for a review). Strandh's () investigation into ALMPs in the Swedish context offers a notable exception in its comparison of the process well‐being effects of three different types of activation measures: Workplace participation : full‐time, self‐directed work experience in the regular labour market with participants themselves finding an employer to take them on. High‐quality training and education : high‐quality theoretical and vocational training courses delivered by specialist or mainstream education providers and leading to formal qualifications. Informal employment‐preparation tasks : light touch employability‐type activities involving only unemployed people, taking place outside of the normal labour market, intended simply to keep unemployed participants busy and engaged and viewed as a last resort where no other preferable alternatives could be found.…”
Section: A Framework For Understanding Variation In Active Labour Marmentioning
Well-being and employment activation have become central and intertwined policy priorities across advanced economies, with the mandation of unemployed claimants towards employability interventions (e.g. curriculum vitae preparation and interview skills). Compelled job search and job transitions are in part justified by the well-being gains that resulting employment is said to deliver. However, this dominant focus within the activation field on outcome well-being -the well-being improvement triggered by a transition to paid work -neglects how participation in activation schemes can itself affect well-being levels for unemployed people -what we term 'process wellbeing' effects. Combining theoretical literature with empirical work on the UK's large-scale quasi-marketized Work Programme activation scheme, we develop the limited existing academic discussion of process well-being effects, considering whether and how activation participation mediates the negative well-being effects of unemployment, irrespective of any employment outcomes. We further relate variation in such process well-being effects to the literature on activation typologies, in which 'thinner' work-first activation interventions are linked to weaker process well-being effects for participants compared to 'thicker' human capital development interventions. Confirming these expectations, our empirical work shows that Work Programme participants have, to date, experienced a largely 'thin' activation regime in which participants are both expected to, and empirically demonstrate, similar if not lower levels of process well-being than those who are openly unemployed. These concerning findings speak to all nations seeking to promote the well-being of unemployed people and particularly those perusing 'black box' activation schemes based around quasi-marketization, devolution and New Public Management.
“…Studies from Australia, Germany and the UK have found positive effects of activation interventions on participant well‐being, whilst other research from Denmark and Sweden provides mixed results, and in some cases finds no association between participation and subjective well‐being (Sage ), leaving us with a mixed and ambiguous international picture. Of particular relevance to the present article, Sage (, ) finds that participants in UK activation schemes do, on average, report higher levels of well‐being than the openly unemployed, controlling for a range of other factors, leading him to the conclusion that these activation schemes can offer a form of intermediate labour market status between open unemployment and paid work. Importantly, however, although hampered by small sample size, Sage's () findings further suggest variation in process well‐being effects across different types of activation programme.…”
Section: Activation Typologies and Process Well‐being: A Neglected Evmentioning
confidence: 78%
“…Whilst there is much general empirical support for these theories (Creed and Klisch ; Paul and Batinic ; Wulfgramm ; Selenko et al . ), there has however been remarkably little empirical attention specifically on the question of how variation in the type of activation policies links to variation in well‐being effects amongst unemployed people (see Sage for a review). Strandh's () investigation into ALMPs in the Swedish context offers a notable exception in its comparison of the process well‐being effects of three different types of activation measures: Workplace participation : full‐time, self‐directed work experience in the regular labour market with participants themselves finding an employer to take them on. High‐quality training and education : high‐quality theoretical and vocational training courses delivered by specialist or mainstream education providers and leading to formal qualifications. Informal employment‐preparation tasks : light touch employability‐type activities involving only unemployed people, taking place outside of the normal labour market, intended simply to keep unemployed participants busy and engaged and viewed as a last resort where no other preferable alternatives could be found.…”
Section: A Framework For Understanding Variation In Active Labour Marmentioning
Well-being and employment activation have become central and intertwined policy priorities across advanced economies, with the mandation of unemployed claimants towards employability interventions (e.g. curriculum vitae preparation and interview skills). Compelled job search and job transitions are in part justified by the well-being gains that resulting employment is said to deliver. However, this dominant focus within the activation field on outcome well-being -the well-being improvement triggered by a transition to paid work -neglects how participation in activation schemes can itself affect well-being levels for unemployed people -what we term 'process wellbeing' effects. Combining theoretical literature with empirical work on the UK's large-scale quasi-marketized Work Programme activation scheme, we develop the limited existing academic discussion of process well-being effects, considering whether and how activation participation mediates the negative well-being effects of unemployment, irrespective of any employment outcomes. We further relate variation in such process well-being effects to the literature on activation typologies, in which 'thinner' work-first activation interventions are linked to weaker process well-being effects for participants compared to 'thicker' human capital development interventions. Confirming these expectations, our empirical work shows that Work Programme participants have, to date, experienced a largely 'thin' activation regime in which participants are both expected to, and empirically demonstrate, similar if not lower levels of process well-being than those who are openly unemployed. These concerning findings speak to all nations seeking to promote the well-being of unemployed people and particularly those perusing 'black box' activation schemes based around quasi-marketization, devolution and New Public Management.
“…The second measure of health is based on the 12 item General Health Question (GHQ12) which measures mental health [40]. This is consistently measured across the BHPS and USS data, and the Likert version, that is the total value of the scores of its items, is adopted in this study [41][42][43].…”
Background: UK health policy increasingly focusses on health as an asset. This represents a shift of focus away from specific risk factors towards the more holistic capacity by which integrated care assets in the community support improvements in both health and the wider flourishing of individuals. Though the social determinants of health are well known, relatively little research has focussed on the impact of an individual's health on their social outcomes. This research investigates how improved health can deliver a social return through the development of social capital. Methods: An observational study is undertaken on 25 years of longitudinal data, from 1991, drawn from the harmonised British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and Understanding Society Survey (USS). Fixed effects instrumental variable panel data regression analysis is undertaken on individuals. The number of memberships of social organisations, as a measure of structural social capital, is regressed on subjectively measured general health and GHQ12 (Likert) scores. Distinction is drawn between males and females. Results: Improved general health increases social capital though differences exist between males and females. Interaction effects, that identify the impacts of health for different age groups, reveal that the effect of increased health on social capital is enhanced for males as they age. However, in the case of females increases in general health increase social capital only in connection with their age group. In contrast mental illness generally reduces social capital for males and females, and these effects are reduced through aging. Conclusions: Investing in health as an asset can improve the social outcomes of individuals. Increasing the outcomes requires tailoring integrated care systems to ensure that opportunities for social engagement are available to individuals and reflect age groups. Targeting improvements in mental health is required, particularly for younger age groups, to promote social capital. The results suggest the importance of ensuring that opportunity for engagement in social and civic organisation be linked to general and mental health care support.
“…Although there is extensive literature on the differential effects of unemployment between genders, less is in known about the gender differential effects of ALMPs on health. One of the few published studies, a cross-sectional study from the UK, showed that life worth and happiness was higher among employed than unemployed male ALMP participants, and among females, participation had a marked effect on life satisfaction (5). Rojdalen et al (38) also designed a non-experimental study based on retrospective judgments in Sweden, taking gender differences into account.…”
Section: Gender Differences Of Almps On Healthmentioning
Background: The “Employment in the neighbourhoods” program is an innovative, tailor-made Active Labour Market Program that has been implemented in 12 neighbourhoods in Barcelona (Spain). Its goal is to get people from deprived, high-unemployment neighbourhoods back to work. The aim of this study was to describe the effects of the program on participants’ quality of life, and identify the mechanisms underlying these effects, according to their own perception and the perception of technical staff who assisted them.
Methods: We used Concept Mapping, a mixed methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative analysis, to develop a conceptual map of the participants’ and technical staffs’ perceptions about changes in the participants’ quality of life. Data collection occurred within the generation and structuring steps where participants brainstormed answers to a focus question, and then rated and sorted the responses. To create maps, we used Concept Systems Incorporated software, which conducted two main forms of analysis, a multidimensional scaling analysis, and a hierarchical cluster analysis.
Results: Study participants reported several positive effects on mental health and emotional wellbeing, including self-esteem and empowerment, and considered that this was achieved through strengthened social networks, skills acquisition, emotional coaching, and personalized technical assistance. They also described some negative impacts, mainly related to the labour market situation. We observed marked gender differences in the discourses of program participants.
Conclusions: The results obtained have allowed us to identify different perceived effects and mechanisms by which the “Employment in the Neighbourhoods” Active Labour Market Programme can influence quality of life of participants from the most deprived areas of Barcelona.
Keywords
Active labour market programs, unemployment, Barcelona City (Spain), deprived neighbourhoods, gender, quality of life, concept mapping.
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