Exploring Institutional Framing of Local Labor Market Programs by Politicians and Managers in Swedish Municipalities
This study explores the governance and implementation of local labor market programs (LLMPs) in Swedish municipalities, analyzing the tension between national mandates and local policy practices. Drawing on institutional ethnography (IE), intersectionality, and emotional labor theories, we examine i...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/6/382 |
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| author | Sara Nyhlén Katarina Giritli Nygren |
| author_facet | Sara Nyhlén Katarina Giritli Nygren |
| author_sort | Sara Nyhlén |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study explores the governance and implementation of local labor market programs (LLMPs) in Swedish municipalities, analyzing the tension between national mandates and local policy practices. Drawing on institutional ethnography (IE), intersectionality, and emotional labor theories, we examine interviews with politicians and managers from eight municipalities. Politicians frame LLMPs as budget-driven initiatives, depoliticizing local labor market issues to comply with national policies like the January Agreement. This approach prioritizes efficiency, workfare models, and quick labor market entry, often sidelining individualized support. In contrast, managers describe their role as navigating policy constraints while addressing diverse local needs. They emphasize the challenges of aligning “one-size-fits-all” activation strategies with the realities of their participants, advocating for flexibility and adaptation within national frameworks. These contrasting perspectives reveal how LLMPs, although locally implemented, are shaped by textually mediated national policies, which influence local governance practices. Politicians focus on the need to meet national objectives, while managers struggle to reconcile these goals with participant-centered approaches. This study contributes to the understanding of how LLMPs operate within a governance framework that prioritizes efficiency over holistic support, highlighting the limitations of workfare-oriented policies and their implications for labor market integration. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-55dc61878e5f40079566cc387d537fb9 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-55dc61878e5f40079566cc387d537fb92025-08-20T02:21:50ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602025-06-0114638210.3390/socsci14060382Exploring Institutional Framing of Local Labor Market Programs by Politicians and Managers in Swedish MunicipalitiesSara Nyhlén0Katarina Giritli Nygren1Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSV), Mid Sweden University, SE-851 70 Sundsvall, SwedenDepartment of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSV), Mid Sweden University, SE-851 70 Sundsvall, SwedenThis study explores the governance and implementation of local labor market programs (LLMPs) in Swedish municipalities, analyzing the tension between national mandates and local policy practices. Drawing on institutional ethnography (IE), intersectionality, and emotional labor theories, we examine interviews with politicians and managers from eight municipalities. Politicians frame LLMPs as budget-driven initiatives, depoliticizing local labor market issues to comply with national policies like the January Agreement. This approach prioritizes efficiency, workfare models, and quick labor market entry, often sidelining individualized support. In contrast, managers describe their role as navigating policy constraints while addressing diverse local needs. They emphasize the challenges of aligning “one-size-fits-all” activation strategies with the realities of their participants, advocating for flexibility and adaptation within national frameworks. These contrasting perspectives reveal how LLMPs, although locally implemented, are shaped by textually mediated national policies, which influence local governance practices. Politicians focus on the need to meet national objectives, while managers struggle to reconcile these goals with participant-centered approaches. This study contributes to the understanding of how LLMPs operate within a governance framework that prioritizes efficiency over holistic support, highlighting the limitations of workfare-oriented policies and their implications for labor market integration.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/6/382institutional framinglocal labor market programsconditional welfarePublic Employment Serviceinstitutional ethnography |
| spellingShingle | Sara Nyhlén Katarina Giritli Nygren Exploring Institutional Framing of Local Labor Market Programs by Politicians and Managers in Swedish Municipalities Social Sciences institutional framing local labor market programs conditional welfare Public Employment Service institutional ethnography |
| title | Exploring Institutional Framing of Local Labor Market Programs by Politicians and Managers in Swedish Municipalities |
| title_full | Exploring Institutional Framing of Local Labor Market Programs by Politicians and Managers in Swedish Municipalities |
| title_fullStr | Exploring Institutional Framing of Local Labor Market Programs by Politicians and Managers in Swedish Municipalities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring Institutional Framing of Local Labor Market Programs by Politicians and Managers in Swedish Municipalities |
| title_short | Exploring Institutional Framing of Local Labor Market Programs by Politicians and Managers in Swedish Municipalities |
| title_sort | exploring institutional framing of local labor market programs by politicians and managers in swedish municipalities |
| topic | institutional framing local labor market programs conditional welfare Public Employment Service institutional ethnography |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/6/382 |
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