oa Activering van langdurig werklozen in de bijstand

Activating the long term unemployed at the national level

This article analyses which specific demand, supply and institutional factors determine the success of municipal projects focused on activating the long term unemployed with social assistance. Furthermore, the question is raised if some of these factors have more weight than others in predicting a successful activation project. It turns out that this is indeed the case. In principle, a substantial amount of success factors of separate projects can be determined, but there are at least two more critical (institutional) factors. These are the extra attention clients are getting in special activation projects and the room of maneuver and skills of the responsible and co-coordinating client manager. The article is based on two separate qualitative research projects carried out in the period 2007-2009 in several Dutch cities. On the whole more than 40 interviews were carried out with clients, local employers and municipal administrators responsible for reintegration of the long term unemployed.