There has been a rapidly growing number of studies of the geographical aspects of happiness and well-being. Many of these studies have been highlighting the role of space and place and of individual and spatial contextual determinants of happiness. However, most of the studies to date do not explicitly …

In this article, we examine the relationship between important types of policies for asylum permit holders in the Netherlands and the improvement in their command of Dutch. As far as asylum policy is concerned, we find that participation in activities in the asylum seekers reception centre – and in particular, …

Substantial and continuous shifts in skills demands urge us to rethink education, labour market and reintegration policies and practices. In this article, we argue for a more skills based approach to (re)integration. This skills based (re)integration practice is based more on up-to-date, complete and …

This paper advances the case for a contextualized perspective on client impact of obligatory participation in welfare to work as a form of conditional welfare. We argue that at least three types of potentially variable characteristics of programmes as they are actually implemented matter for understanding …

The shift from ‘passive’ to ‘activating’ welfare states has made labour market participation of citizens a core objective of contemporary active social policies. This shift is reflected in the nature of various social services for vulnerable groups and, by consequence, the roles and responsibilities …

Debates about the new welfare, and the new social policies that go (or should go) with it, share an emphasis on risk-prevention strategies and pluralistic risk management. Focusing specifically on the risk of unemployment, this article discusses the case for so-called preventive worker-directed active …

Careers work is a very political business. Since the early 1990s, successive governments in England and the Netherlands have persistently challenged those working in the careers sector to demonstrate the educational, social and economic value and impact of their work. In this context, the marketisation …

An increasing number of Turkish Dutch, the Netherlands’ largest ethnic minority group, are beginning to return to their country of origin, taking with them the education and skills they have acquired abroad, as the Netherlands faces challenges from economic difficulties and socio-political tensions. At …

This article explores the nature of innovative employer‐oriented activation policies, which aim to influence employers’ willingness to hire or possibly train and guide the unemployed. These policies may focus on responsibilities with regards to activation, which offer services to employers or provide …

This paper explores the recurring dilemma that women still face when having to choose between their professional and their personal lives and the role that men play in it. Starting a family is one of the main reasons why women in Europe and all over the world decide to reduce their working hours or leave …