The construction of the category of unemployed young people with no qualifications in Switzerland
This paper explores the process of the rationalization of activation policies towards unemployed young people in Switzerland. It aims at analysing the mechanism of normalization for the criterion of “unqualified” among unemployed young people with no qualifications. Empirical observations show the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Stavanger
2012-10-01
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| Series: | Journal of Comparative Social Work |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.uis.no/index.php/JCSW/article/view/88 |
| _version_ | 1811341762113830912 |
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| author | Eva Nada |
| author_facet | Eva Nada |
| author_sort | Eva Nada |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
This paper explores the process of the rationalization of activation policies towards unemployed young people in Switzerland. It aims at analysing the mechanism of normalization for the criterion of “unqualified” among unemployed young people with no qualifications. Empirical observations show the growing difficulties for personal counsellors to categorize an increasingly heterogeneous population of young unemployed people. These difficulties crystallize themselves with the definition of the criterion “unqualified”, thereby ushering in a new activation measure that appraises the school- and psychological aptitudes of young people. This measure partially determines the eligibility of the unemployed young people and participates in producing a norm of the “right measure” in relation to the level of “unqualification”. The concept of “looping effect “ developed by Ian Hacking was used to analyse the mechanism of transformation of the category and its effects on the identities of both young people and the front line agents. The paper discusses how to apply a philosophical concept to the sociology of categorization in order to deepen our understanding of activation policies within the changing scene of European social policy.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T18:59:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1428d6be4e174190a398e449ec89a86b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0809-9936 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T18:59:56Z |
| publishDate | 2012-10-01 |
| publisher | University of Stavanger |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Comparative Social Work |
| spelling | doaj.art-1428d6be4e174190a398e449ec89a86b2022-12-22T02:34:07ZengUniversity of StavangerJournal of Comparative Social Work0809-99362012-10-017210.31265/jcsw.v7i2.8888The construction of the category of unemployed young people with no qualifications in SwitzerlandEva Nada This paper explores the process of the rationalization of activation policies towards unemployed young people in Switzerland. It aims at analysing the mechanism of normalization for the criterion of “unqualified” among unemployed young people with no qualifications. Empirical observations show the growing difficulties for personal counsellors to categorize an increasingly heterogeneous population of young unemployed people. These difficulties crystallize themselves with the definition of the criterion “unqualified”, thereby ushering in a new activation measure that appraises the school- and psychological aptitudes of young people. This measure partially determines the eligibility of the unemployed young people and participates in producing a norm of the “right measure” in relation to the level of “unqualification”. The concept of “looping effect “ developed by Ian Hacking was used to analyse the mechanism of transformation of the category and its effects on the identities of both young people and the front line agents. The paper discusses how to apply a philosophical concept to the sociology of categorization in order to deepen our understanding of activation policies within the changing scene of European social policy. https://journals.uis.no/index.php/JCSW/article/view/88Activations policiesyoung unemployedlooping effectlevel of “unqualification”ethnographic research |
| spellingShingle | Eva Nada The construction of the category of unemployed young people with no qualifications in Switzerland Journal of Comparative Social Work Activations policies young unemployed looping effect level of “unqualification” ethnographic research |
| title | The construction of the category of unemployed young people with no qualifications in Switzerland |
| title_full | The construction of the category of unemployed young people with no qualifications in Switzerland |
| title_fullStr | The construction of the category of unemployed young people with no qualifications in Switzerland |
| title_full_unstemmed | The construction of the category of unemployed young people with no qualifications in Switzerland |
| title_short | The construction of the category of unemployed young people with no qualifications in Switzerland |
| title_sort | construction of the category of unemployed young people with no qualifications in switzerland |
| topic | Activations policies young unemployed looping effect level of “unqualification” ethnographic research |
| url | https://journals.uis.no/index.php/JCSW/article/view/88 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT evanada theconstructionofthecategoryofunemployedyoungpeoplewithnoqualificationsinswitzerland AT evanada constructionofthecategoryofunemployedyoungpeoplewithnoqualificationsinswitzerland |