The impact of contractualism in social policies The case of active labour market policies in Switzerland

Purpose - This article's purpose is to analyse the current transformations of public action in two main respects: on the one side the relationships between individuals and institutions and their recent evolutions, on the other, the new contractual or market- like ways of designing and implementing public action. This twofold transformation and the extent to which it represents a deep- seated revolution or a more limited recalibration of the public realm are to be investigated against the case of Swiss active labour market policies. Design/methodology/approach - This issue is examined through the design of a theoretical and normative typology, which is then applied to the case of active labour market policies in Switzerland, based on an in-depth empirical investigation (more than 50 interviews with field actors). Findings - The emergence of new modes of governance coincides with the promotion of market solutions to unemployment, thus leading to a conception of welfare and its individual beneficiaries as subordinate to labour market requirements. Research limitations/implications - The empirical part of this paper focuses on one specific case, the Swiss ALMPs. Further research is needed for a more general assessment of the issue. Originality/value - One key element of the approach is the link made between substantial and procedural issues related to recent evolutions in the field of social integration policies. In the authors' view substantial and organisational aspects of the political process should be studied jointly.