The Dutch and Danish Miracles Revisited: A Critical Discussion of Activation Policies in Two Small Welfare States

Abstract

Denmark and the Netherlands are usually considered to belong to two different families of welfare states: the Scandinavian and the Continental model respectively. Yet, in both states active labour market policies, or activation, have increased during the  s and are currently prominent. Both in Denmark and in the Netherlands activation has been viewed as an important reason for the low unemployment rates which both states have experienced since the early to mid- s, hence explaining the so-called Dutch and Danish jobs miracles. The paper examines critically the activation measures taken in both countries and their alleged positive effect upon (un)employment.It further examines their effect on rights and obligations from a citizenship perspective. The paper concludes that in both cases the positive development of labour market performance cannot primarily be attributed to activation measures. Furthermore, activation has reduced the entitlements and increased the obligations affiliated with social citizenship.

The activation logic in national sickness absence policies: Comparing the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland

“…This may be due to the framing of the problem and the language that is used. For example, while in the Netherlands and Denmark the concept of 'rights and obligations' is used to argue for the conditionality of sickness benefits (Van Oorschot and Abrahamson, 2003), Ireland still speaks of entitlements: 'we don't tend to word things that way. If you look at some of the [government] websites, what is written on top is 'entitlement'.…”

The Changing Worlds and Workplaces of Capitalism

“…Simplifying, we can state that while the liberal workfare model emphasises the first two aspects, the universalistic flexicurity approach stresses the last one. Recently, however, northern European countries have also increased individuals' obligations to find and accept a job due to pressures to contain social expenditures (van Oorschot and Abrahamson 2003).…”

All That is Just Ersatz: The Meaning of Work in the Life of Immigrant Newcomers

“…Widely propagated and implemented as a strategy for the creation of work and for the activation and social integration of the unemployed in many Western European countries, including Germany (see Delsen ; Jancius ; Regalia ), the alternative‐to‐work schemes or projects remain questionable, in terms of efficacy (see Hagelund and Kavli ; Ronsen ; Thoren ). Even the cases that seem to demonstrate positive developments and successes (e.g., the Dutch and Danish cases) beg the following questions: Do such projects in the long run lead to what are considered normal positions in the labor market, or are people, in fact, left in the position of being occupied “by activities parallel to the ‘real’ labour markets, and as stigmatized as previously?” (Van Oorschot and Abrahamson :202). All in all, the subjective experience of those involved in such projects remains understudied, and provides another motivation of my research.…”