Evaluation of the Implementation of Czech Activation Policy

Barbora Grundelova

Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the article are 1) to answer the question of how the actors of Czech activation policy evaluate its implementation, and 2) on the basis of the findings, to propose recommendations for practice. THEORETICAL BASE: The text is based on the street‐level bureaucracy theory, the micro-institutionalist theory of policy implementation and the concept of activation as a continuum between bipolar models of activation. METHODS: A qualitative research strategy was used: 23 in-depth interviews were conducted with job seekers and their case workers. OUTCOMES: The result of the study shows that activation work is reduced to providing advertisements and checking compliance with activation requirements. Activation is implemented in the direction of the “work first” model and is characterized by a number of sanctions and disciplinary practices. It turns out that the implementation of activation is burdened with a number of problems that call into question its effectiveness in overcoming social exclusion. SOCIAL WORK IMPLICATIONS: Based on the findings, there is a discussion on the importance of coordinated employment services, the possibility of professionalizing the implementation of activation using social work and the personalization of employment services.

Keywords:

activation, labour office, evaluation, job seeker

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