Moving forward, waiting or standing still? Service users’ experiences from a Norwegian labour activation programme

The Fate of Social Modernity

“…Job promotion measures within active inclusion programmes in Norway have become more comprehensive over the last three decades (Aakvik and Dahl 2006;Spjelkavi 2012;Kane and Köhler-Ohlsen 2018;Hansen and Gubrium 2022). From the 1990s onwards, measures were partially modelled on the 'work first' approach developed in Anglo-Saxon jurisdictions.…”

“…These plans contain an 'institutionalised defined trajectory with certain expected steps: from course-taking to work-training to work-placements, and finally, to job-seeking' (Hansen andGubrium 2022: 1012). Concomitantly, governments fostered the external provision of welfare-to-work services, with various measures being Available studies show a mixed picture concerning the direction of (institutional) change in this realm (Dahl and Lorentzen 2017;Marthinsen 2019;Hansen and Lorentzen 2019;Bakkeli 2022;Hansen and Gubrium 2022;Traetteberg and Grødem 2022). On the one hand, enhanced public efforts to address disadvantaged sections of the (working) population have provided some categories of jobseekers with new opportunities.…”