Activation of unemployed through social procurement

From Policy to Practice

Bibliographic Data

ID6428593
AuthorsEmma Ek Österberg (0000-0001-8649-5427, University of Gothenburg), Patrik Zapata (0000-0002-7029-1195, University of Gothenburg)
Year2023
Volume38
Issue2
Pages788-807
Publication date2023-03-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInnovation The European Journal of Social Science Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1351-1610 • E-ISSN: 1469-8412
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13511610.2023.2191829
OpenAlexW4360610205
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited39

In this paper, we trace how 'social procurement' (SP) translates from policy to practice. Launched as a driver of social innovation and sustainability, SP offers a novel way of strengthening the implementation of active labor market policies locally. Policy tools are not neutral instruments, however; they shape the substance of policy in decisive ways. That is, how tools are used determines what the policy 'becomes'. Building on a qualitative case study, the analysis shows how local translations enabled new roles, approaches and purchasing practices, and how the practice of purchasing 'social goods' largely became a practice of providing competence to private enterprises. The implications of such a shift for local work on active labor market policies, as well as broader implications of attempts to use procurement to attain social sustainability, need to be further explored in future research

Business · Competence (human resources · Economic growth · Economics · Management · Market economy · Political science · Procurement · Public economics · Public relations · Purchasing · Qualitative research · Social policy · Social sustainability · Sociology · Sustainability · Work (physics · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Engineering · Public Procurement and Policy · Sustainable Supply Chain Management · Social Work · Marketing

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Open DOIOpen Access