Activation measures through the lens of governmentality

Summary, in English

This article focuses on young unemployed in Sweden involved in two activation measures. Using the analytical framework of governmentality, it analyses how the participants perceive and value activation measures as government-driven intervention aimed at bringing young people into the labour market, based on a neoliberal discourse in the welfare state. The article highlights that the welfare system not only tries to promote behavioural changes, but also tries to change the way people think. At the centre of the study are the people-changing technologies embedded in the Swedish norms of a strong work ethic. The analysis underlines how these technologies are internalised and even become a part of the participant’s own free will.

• Author: Staffan Bengtsson; Alexandru Panican; Rickard Ulmestig
• Department/s: School of Social Work
• Publishing year: 2022-07-26
• Language: English
• Publication/Series: Critical and Radical Social Work - an international journal
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1332/204986022X16546738761661
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: Policy Press
• Topic: Social Work
• Keywords: Activation; governmentality; labour market; neoliberal; welfare state; work ethic; technologies; norms; discourse; participants; unemployed; activation measures; intervention; activation; governmentality; labour market; neoliberal welfare state; work ethic
• Status: Epub
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 2049-8608