The question what activation effectively does can be answered in multiple ways depending on research interests and empirical scope. While for most research this need not be a reason for concern, it becomes a considerable problem when trying to assess the economic, societal and political success of activation, especially in comparative perspective — and in cases where activation reforms were passed in a time in which often ambiguous knowledge about the performance, the effectiveness but also on the downsides and problems of activation was already widely available. As evaluating whether and to what extent activation objectives can actually be achieved depends first and foremost on the policy objectives pursued with the shift towards activating labour market and social policies.
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Konle-Seidl, R., Eichhorst, W. (2008). Does Activation Work?. In: Eichhorst, W., Kaufmann, O., Konle-Seidl, R. (eds) Bringing the Jobless into Work?. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-77435-8_10
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