A central goal of European activation policies is to provide coherent and actively inclusive employment and social services. This book offers new insights on the effective governance and implementation of such policies. Utilizing empirical studies from six European welfare states, expert contributors explore how different institutional contexts influence localized service delivery and how local authorities deal with the associated coordination challenges. Acknowledging that neither decentralization nor provider networks necessarily prevent fragmented service provision, Martin Heidenreich and Deborah Rice illustrate that an understanding of the European budgetary context, as well as individual network brokerage, is vital for a successful integration of employment and social policies at the local level. Timely and engaging, this innovative book will provide new theoretical perspectives and invaluable empirical materials for academics and students in the field of comparative social policy. Policy makers and officials will also appreciate the editors’ practical approach.

1. Introduction Martin Heidenreich and Deborah Rice 2. Integrating Social and Employment Policies at the Local Level: Conceptual and Empirical Challenges Martin Heidenreich and Deborah Rice 3. Integrated and Individualized Services: Paradoxes in the Implementation of Labour Market Policies in Sweden Katarina Hollertz 4. Activation Policy in a Fragmented Welfare System: The Case of Poland Slawomir Mandes 5. Personalized Activation Policies for the Long-Term Unemployed: The Role of Local Governance in the UK Vanesa Fuertes and Ronald McQuaid 6. The Local Governance of Social Inclusion Policies in Italy: Working Via ‘Organ Pipes’ Serida L. Catalano, Paolo R. Graziano and Matteo Bassoli 7. Challenges of Delivering Cross-Sectorial Employment Policies in France Thierry Berthet, Clara Bourgeois and Karine Tourné Languin 8. Organisational Barriers to Service Integration in One-Stop-Shops: The Case of Germany Katharina Zimmermann and Deborah Rice 9. The Local Usages of Europe in Social Cohesion Policies: A Comparative Analysis Serida L. Catalano and Paolo R. Graziano 10. The National Governance of Integrated Activation Policies in Europe Thierry Berthet and Clara Bourgeois 11. Local Worlds of Coordinated Activation Policy Katharina Zimmerman, Vanesa Fuertes and Patrizia Aurich-Beerheide 12. Negotiating Social Citizenship at the Street-Level: Local Activation Policies and Individualization in Sweden and Poland Christina Garsten, Kerstin Jacobsson and Karolina Sztandar-Sztanderska Index