What Role for Activation in Eco-Social Policy?

Abstract

This article aims to bring labour market activation policy into the orbit of eco-social policy, which we can understand as sustainable welfare without growth. Activation is extensively addressed from economic and social policy perspectives; however, environmental sustainability concerns are absent. Typically, each domain, activation and sustainability, is seen as mutually exclusive. Growing debate about sustainable welfare without growth features much discussion about the effects of productivism and about re-orienting and re-valuing work and how we use our time; however, such discussion tends to leave activation and unemployment untouched. One could ask whether there is any role for activation in eco-social policy: why focus on employment and employability, or even push people into work, if postgrowth requires a downsizing of paid employment and working time in everyone’s lives? The purpose of this article is to explore this question and to consider how activation could be re-valued and re-thought as a policy tool for eco-social policy.

“I’m Not Worthless, I Do Help Society”: Exploring the Lived Experience of Community Placement in Activation Schemes

“…These findings are in correspondence with the literature on co-production and personalisation approaches in the context of activation and employability services as ways of enabling meaningful participation and empowerment of participants considering their singularity and needs (Lindsay et al, 2014;Fuertes and Lindsay, 2016;Larsen and Caswell, 2022). In this same direction, the findings converse with the broader discussions problematising the nature of work and activation, and the role of social policy and welfare in enabling more empowering and fulfilling ways of participating beyond paid work (Dukelow, 2022;Larruffa et al, 2022;Stamm, 2023). In that regard, reciprocity, non-productivist forms of contributing, and a comprehensive notion of well-being are proposed as components of eco-social welfare (Murphy, 2023).…”

Building the Future from the Present: Imagining Post-Growth, Post-Productivist Ecosocial Policy

“…Rethinking the aims and value of ALMPs from an ecosocial perspective – that is, valuing and designing activation policy around ecological and social goals – speaks to how various countries have historically used ALMP to promote non-labour market objectives, and how some are consciously widening what is seen as acceptable forms of activity in contemporary ALMPs (Dukelow, forthcoming). Stamm et al .…”

Enabling Participation Income for an Eco-Social State

“…Likewise, Stamm et al (2020) highlight how potential for volunteering/participating in 'eco-social initiatives'small-scale cooperative initiatives, that integrate social and environmental goalscan be actively enabled by income supports and social inclusion policies. Developing this point, Dukelow (2021) offers the example of Ireland's community employment programme, which enables income support recipients to undertake work embedded in community organisations and focussed on social rather than economic contributions.…”