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Contextualisation of cross-national comparisons

Most social scientists agree that it is necessary to analyse social phenomenon in context. However, the notion of context is most often used loosely and arbitrary. Therefore, this article invites to reconsider the notion of contextualisation, and it is argued that a contextual approach entails that social relations must be given primacy in the analysis of social phenomenon.
A contextual model is developed in order to understand the marked differences in female labour force participation in Denmark and Italy. It is argued that we find low female participation rates in Italy due to a familial social system (traditional family, residuel welfare state, closed labour markets) which corresponds to a centripetal female orientation, while we find high female labour force partici-pation in Denmark due to a contractual social system (dual family, institutional welfare state, open labour markets) which corresponds to a centrifugal female orientation.

Der Aufsatz beinhaltet eine Auseinandersetzung mit den Erfahrungen der dänischen Freistellungsmodelle, die Bildungs-, Sabbat- und Kindererziehungsurlaub umfassen, hinsichtlich der Ziele der Gleichstellung in den Geschlechterbeziehungen. In einem ersten Schritt wird unter Rückgriff auf empirisches Datenmaterial die Nutzung von Freistellungsmodellen dargestellt. Dabei zeigt sich eine deutlich höhere Nutzung dieser Angebote durch Frauen. In einem zweiten Schritt werden die Auswirkungen dieser Arbeitsmarktreform beschrieben, die sich durch strukturelle Ungleichgewichte und einen Arbeitskräftemangel insbesondere im öffentlichen Sektor auszeichnen. Als politische Reaktion darauf erfolgt eine Beschneidung der Freistellungsmodelle, um so der Entwicklung auf dem Arbeitsmarkt entgegenzusteuern. Im Anschluss verweist der Autor auf die Situation junger Mütter und merkt an, "dass viele Frauen den Kindererziehungsurlaub nicht aufgrund einer freien Wahl in Anspruch nahmen, sondern weil es keine Möglichkeit der Unterbringung in einer Kinderbetreuungseinrichtung gab". Abschließend wird diskutiert, inwieweit die Freistellungsmodelle in Richtung des Modells männlicher Ernährer/weibliche Teilzeit tendieren. (ICG).

This article discusses the social, political, and administrative dynamics behind shifting welfare policies and social innovations in the senior care provided by Danish municipalities. The main argument is that institutional entrepreneurs are key agents of change and that institutional entrepreneurship is rooted in exogenous (e.g., scarce resources) and endogenous (e.g., cognition) factors. The article shows how exogenous factors challenge existing practices or necessitate change, while new ideas among institutional entrepreneurs in politics and administration give direction to institutional change.

Social marginalisation due to changing labour markets in a global, knowledge-intensive economy poses a major challenge to international welfare states. Addressing the problem from a citizenship perspective, this book contributes significantly to the understanding of policy problems and the development of appropriate strategies

Active ageing has been discussed in international political organisations and among re-searchers as a major means for combatting the challenges of demographic ageing. This study aims to make a critical-theoretical and empirical assessment of the active ageing concept, challenging the active ageing discourse from two different angles. First, an assessment of the theoretical framework of active ageing shows that the conceptual framework is undertheorised, lacks conceptual and analytical clarity, and fails to propose clear contributing factors and barriers. The second part presents an empirical analysis of the concept of active ageing guided by the following research question: is active ageing realistic—and for whom? Using Danish data subjected to multiple correspondence analysis, it is found that active ageing at the individual level is preconditioned by health, education, having good finances, etc. Furthermore, a Matthew effect of accumulated advantage is found; that is, older adults who are blessed in one sphere of life are also blessed in others, and such inequalities in old age are the outcomes of social life biographies (i.e., cumulative advantages/disadvantages over the life course). Thus, empirical findings indicate that active ageing may be an elusive goal for a large segment of older adults.

PurposeThe so‐called individual action plan (IAP) has become a major policy instrument in providing active welfare for social benefit claimants, and as such it has attracted quite a research interest. The purpose of this paper is to maintain that research hitherto has been founded in a too narrow notion of the IAP, arguing instead that IAP represents a new societal rationality, in relation to which the scope of research questions should be broadened.Design/methodology/approachThe paper explores the basic dynamics and internal features of the IAP dialogue theoretically and ideal typically. It is furthermore argued that IAP‐like arrangements have extended far beyond the domain of social policy; IAP‐like dialogues are practiced in all corners of society in the form of HRM conversations, supervision, coaching etc. Relating to Foucault it is therefore argued that IAP represents a new dispositif.FindingsThe paper states that the emerging dispositif demands that the individual constitutes herself as a creative and self‐expressive subject in dynamic dialogue. Accordingly the microphysics of the interaction change for the clientele as well as for the case worker. Purpose and procedures turn singular, which undermines collective endeavours and general criteria for success in social policy.Originality/valueThe paper employs a theoretical and sociological perspective on the IAP as a new technology in the organisation of social policy, and its contribution lies in its displacement of the perspective on IAP and its consequences on research questions.