Between cooperation and competition: The organisation of employment service delivery in the UK and Germany

Citation

Fuertes V, Jantz B, Klenk T & McQuaid R (2014) Between cooperation and competition: The organisation of employment service delivery in the UK and Germany. International Journal of Social Welfare, 23 (Supplement S1), pp. S71-S86. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsw.12100

Abstract
The increased emphasis on labour market activation in many European countries has led to new forms of governance in recent decades. Primarily through qualitative data and document analysis, this article compares the restructuring of labour market service delivery in the UK and Germany. The comparison suggests the emergence of complex governance arrangements that seek to balance public regulation and accountability with the creation of room for market competition. As a result, we can observe in both countries a greater use of markets, but also of rules. While in both countries the relationships between different providers of labour market services can best be described as a mixture of cooperation and competition, differences exist in terms of instruments and the comprehensiveness of coordination initiatives. The findings suggest that the distinctions between governance models may be more important in theory than in practice, although the combinations of theoretical forms vary in different circumstances.

Keywords
activation; coordination; employment services; Germany, governance; UK

Notes
The research leading to results for the UK was part of an EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007 − 2013) under grant agreement no. 266768

Journal
International Journal of Social Welfare: Volume 23, Issue Supplement S1

People

Professor Ronald McQuaid

Emeritus Professor, Management, Work and Organisation