Social service innovation and welfare recalibration: a case study of a local training to work trajectory in Belgium

Abstract

Despite a growing interest in the relation between local social innovation in welfare services and ongoing welfare reform in Europe, both the social innovation and welfare studies literature currently lack a conceptually grounded framework to analyse how both are mutually implicated. Building on different, recent contributions in institutional theory the present paper proposes to analyse such changing relations as an interactive social learning process between ‘habits in motion’ (Berk and Galvan 2009) of reflexive, situated actors at the local level and the gradual and multidimensional process of macro-level welfare reform or ‘welfare recalibration’ (Hemerijck 2013). The value of this framework is explored through a case study of an innovative training to work trajectory for foreign language newcomers that receive welfare assistance in a medium-sized Belgian city.

Keywords:

• Social innovation
• welfare reform
• employment trajectories
• social learning
• social policy
• local public services

Disclosure statement

There are no conflicts of interest to report.

Notes on contributors

Pieter Cools is a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Sociology and a lecturer at the Master Social Work of the University of Antwerp. He wrote his PhD on the relations between local social innovation and ongoing welfare reform from the perspective of social inclusion and poverty reduction.

Stijn Oosterlynck is Associate Professor in Urban Sociology at the University of Antwerp, Sociology department. He teaches courses on urban studies, poverty and social inequality. His research is concerned with local social innovation and welfare state restructuring, the political sociology of urban development, urban renewal and community building and new forms of solidarity in diversity.

Notes

1 The PCSW staff used this term consistently during the interviews. In this paper we will use ‘clients’ for PCSW beneficiaries in general and ‘participants’ for those involved in TfC.

2 These trajectories, which were developed as a reacting against ‘cherry picking’, are meant to capacitate the weakest groups to engage in various possible activation to work trajectories. For a detailed description see online: http://ec.europa.eu/social/esf_projects_117/project.cfm?id=88andproject_lang=en (Accessed 12/02/2017).

3 Partnership of employer- and employee representatives that organises training and support for catering companies. Online: http://www.fanvanhoreca.be/opleidingen/horeca-vorming-vlaanderen (Accessed 12/02/2017)

4 Article 60§7 in the federal OCMW-law (June 8th 1976).

5 Referring to Frank Vandenbroucke, who was, among others, federal minister of Social Affairs (1999-2003), of Pensions (1999-2004), of Work (2003-2004) and Flemish minister of Education (2004-2009). He is one of the main promoters of the Active Welfare State and Social Investment in Belgium and Europe.

6 The formal mission of Belgian PCSW’s is to guarantee ‘every person the right to social assistance. This should enable everybody to lead a life conform to human dignity’ (Art. 1 of the OCMW-law of July 8 1976, own translation).

Additional information

Funding

The research on which this paper draws results from the project ImPRovE (‘Poverty Reduction in Europe: Social Policy and Innovation’), funded by the European Union under the 7th Framework Programme for Collaborative Projects in the Social Sciences and Humanities [GA290613].