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https://doi.org/10.12759/hsr.44.2019.2.225-246
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A Matter of Definitions: The Profiling of People in Italian Active Labour Market Policies
Eine Definitionsfrage: Die Profilierung von Personen in der aktiven Arbeitsmarktpolitik Italiens
[journal article]
Abstract The article explores the implications for public welfare policy of the current reliance on quantification tools to assess both people and programs. In this context, profiling has recently acquired a key role in active labour market policies, because it allows policy administrators to distinguish amo... view more
The article explores the implications for public welfare policy of the current reliance on quantification tools to assess both people and programs. In this context, profiling has recently acquired a key role in active labour market policies, because it allows policy administrators to distinguish among different levels of risk in individuals approaching the labour market. After discussing the issue of the deployment of numbers in policies, I present and contextualize a recent case study: a national profiling system adopted in Italy in fulfilment of Youth Guarantee, a European public policy whose aim is to support young people entering the labour market via dedicated services. In the second part of the article, I outline how the profiling system was devised and how it works, going on to report a qualitative study on the implications of using the Disadvantage Index - the core of the profiling model - and how it was modified after an initial test phase. The research findings suggest that, in contradiction with the Index’ original goals, it has ended up screening out the more disadvantaged NEETs, with the risk of perpetuating their disadvantage. In the conclusions section, I return to the role of numbers and indicators in governing public policy, as well as their contribution to the depoliticization of public action.... view less
Keywords
Italy; activating labor market policy; adolescent; occupational integration; employment promotion; government promotion of vocational training; promotion of disadvantaged persons; promotional program; unemployment; labor market
Classification
Labor Market Policy
Free Keywords
Profiling system; sociology of quantification; active labour market policies; Youth Guarantee; public action; depoliticization
Document language
English
Publication Year
2019
Page/Pages
p. 225-246
Journal
Historical Social Research, 44 (2019) 2
Issue topic
Governing by Numbers - Key Indicators and the Politics of Expectations
ISSN
0172-6404
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed