Organisational outputs of administrative reforms: disability in Danish job centres

Lena Kjeldsen; Finn Amby; Torben Esbo Agergaard

doi:10.1017/S004727942400031X

Organisational outputs of administrative reforms: disability in Danish job centres

Bidragets oversatte titel: Organisatoriske outputs af administrative reformer: Handicap i danske jobcentre

Lena Kjeldsen^*, Finn Amby, Torben Esbo Agergaard

^*Corresponding author af dette arbejde

Institut for Matematik - Videnskabsstudier

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift/Konferencebidrag i tidsskrift /Bidrag til avis › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › peer review

Abstract

Employment rates of people with and without disabilities differ substantially in most countries, and policymakers have tried, with mixed effects, to reduce this gap through different policy measures. However, studies show that governance and managerial reforms also affect implementation of policy. In this study, we examine how the Danish large-scale administrative reform of 2007 has affected the role and structure of the approach of the public employment system (PES) to unemployed people with disabilities. Using Pollitt and Bouckeart's framework on reform effects, we report on a document analysis of policy papers and a 2019 survey of caseworkers and disability keypersons (N = 453). The analysis identifies few and vague objectives on a process and systems level, with the overall goal being more coherent service delivery. Specifically, a new division of tasks between the state and municipal level was established, including the creation of a disability keyperson at the municipal level to inform and guide job centre colleagues in assisting unemployed with disabilities. In practice, most of the keypersons were doing administrative casework and placed in sections focussed on unemployed with a reduced work ability. Hence, we identify a mismatch between objectives and implementation, questioning whether service delivery has become more coherent.

Bidragets oversatte titel	Organisatoriske outputs af administrative reformer: Handicap i danske jobcentre
Originalsprog	Engelsk
Tidsskrift	Journal of Social Policy
Sider (fra-til)	1-18
ISSN	0047-2794
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1017/S004727942400031X
Status	E-pub / Early view - 2024

Adgang til dokumentet

10.1017/S004727942400031X

Andre filer og links

Link to publication in Scopus

Citationsformater

@article{007b6da7b4b04b018e9ede19fafd03bb,

title = "Organisational outputs of administrative reforms: disability in Danish job centres",

abstract = "Employment rates of people with and without disabilities differ substantially in most countries, and policymakers have tried, with mixed effects, to reduce this gap through different policy measures. However, studies show that governance and managerial reforms also affect implementation of policy. In this study, we examine how the Danish large-scale administrative reform of 2007 has affected the role and structure of the approach of the public employment system (PES) to unemployed people with disabilities. Using Pollitt and Bouckeart's framework on reform effects, we report on a document analysis of policy papers and a 2019 survey of caseworkers and disability keypersons (N = 453). The analysis identifies few and vague objectives on a process and systems level, with the overall goal being more coherent service delivery. Specifically, a new division of tasks between the state and municipal level was established, including the creation of a disability keyperson at the municipal level to inform and guide job centre colleagues in assisting unemployed with disabilities. In practice, most of the keypersons were doing administrative casework and placed in sections focussed on unemployed with a reduced work ability. Hence, we identify a mismatch between objectives and implementation, questioning whether service delivery has become more coherent.",

keywords = "administrative reform, disability, employment, governance reform, public employment system",

author = "Lena Kjeldsen and Finn Amby and Agergaard, {Torben Esbo}",

year = "2024",

doi = "10.1017/S004727942400031X",

language = "English",

pages = "1--18",

journal = "Journal of Social Policy",

issn = "0047-2794",

publisher = "Cambridge University Press",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Organisational outputs of administrative reforms

T2 - disability in Danish job centres

AU - Kjeldsen, Lena

AU - Amby, Finn

AU - Agergaard, Torben Esbo

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - Employment rates of people with and without disabilities differ substantially in most countries, and policymakers have tried, with mixed effects, to reduce this gap through different policy measures. However, studies show that governance and managerial reforms also affect implementation of policy. In this study, we examine how the Danish large-scale administrative reform of 2007 has affected the role and structure of the approach of the public employment system (PES) to unemployed people with disabilities. Using Pollitt and Bouckeart's framework on reform effects, we report on a document analysis of policy papers and a 2019 survey of caseworkers and disability keypersons (N = 453). The analysis identifies few and vague objectives on a process and systems level, with the overall goal being more coherent service delivery. Specifically, a new division of tasks between the state and municipal level was established, including the creation of a disability keyperson at the municipal level to inform and guide job centre colleagues in assisting unemployed with disabilities. In practice, most of the keypersons were doing administrative casework and placed in sections focussed on unemployed with a reduced work ability. Hence, we identify a mismatch between objectives and implementation, questioning whether service delivery has become more coherent.

AB - Employment rates of people with and without disabilities differ substantially in most countries, and policymakers have tried, with mixed effects, to reduce this gap through different policy measures. However, studies show that governance and managerial reforms also affect implementation of policy. In this study, we examine how the Danish large-scale administrative reform of 2007 has affected the role and structure of the approach of the public employment system (PES) to unemployed people with disabilities. Using Pollitt and Bouckeart's framework on reform effects, we report on a document analysis of policy papers and a 2019 survey of caseworkers and disability keypersons (N = 453). The analysis identifies few and vague objectives on a process and systems level, with the overall goal being more coherent service delivery. Specifically, a new division of tasks between the state and municipal level was established, including the creation of a disability keyperson at the municipal level to inform and guide job centre colleagues in assisting unemployed with disabilities. In practice, most of the keypersons were doing administrative casework and placed in sections focussed on unemployed with a reduced work ability. Hence, we identify a mismatch between objectives and implementation, questioning whether service delivery has become more coherent.

KW - administrative reform

KW - disability

KW - employment

KW - governance reform

KW - public employment system

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85210995628&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1017/S004727942400031X

DO - 10.1017/S004727942400031X

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0047-2794

SP - 1

EP - 18

JO - Journal of Social Policy

JF - Journal of Social Policy

ER -

Organisational outputs of administrative reforms: disability in Danish job centres

Abstract

Adgang til dokumentet

Andre filer og links

Fingeraftryk

Citationsformater