Crumbs from the Rich Man's Table?: Municipal Labour Market Policies and Recognition of Welfare Recipients in Sweden

Abstract

Labour market policies, also known as activation, are common responses to poverty, unemployment and social exclusion. Activation is characterised by increased individual responsibility, requiring welfare recipients to strive for financial self-sufficiency, be it through job-seeking, training or coaching. In Sweden, activation policies are also implemented in municipal welfare services such as social assistance and activation services. However, knowledge concerning the practical implications of activation for welfare recipients is lacking. The purpose of this thesis is to understand the meaning of recognition in social work with activation. The study explores themes such as poverty, dignity and inclusion in society. Theoretically, the thesis draws on Axel Honneth’s critical theory of recognition, which concerns social justice and a human need of being recognised as a full member of society. The study examines social assistance and activation services in five municipalities in southern Sweden, which participated in a project funded by the European Social Fund, as a case of activation. The project consisted of a skills training programme aimed at enhancing recognition. Social workers underwent training in recognition theory and its implementation in practice over two years. The thesis studies the outcome of the training programme, partly through a survey with social workers and partly through a pre-post-test survey with welfare recipients in the case study municipalities and in five comparison municipalities. However, the study also draws upon welfare recipients’ experiences in activation through focus group and individual interviews, and open-ended survey responses from the pre-post-test. The research findings suggest that the skills training programme did not significantly increase recognition. Also, on the one hand, welfare recipients experience the activation practices as recognising, through supportive individual interactions, increased financial resources and social esteem for work-related contributions. On the other hand, they still experience poverty, low status and limited employment prospects. The main conclusion of the thesis is therefore that welfare recipients are subject to a marginal recognition in activation. On the basis of this conclusion, a discussion is raised about the potential of social work with activation to fully recognise welfare recipients.