Between Income Maintenance and Activation: the legitimacy, implementation and outcomes of social security policies (TREfF-2)
Background
Treff-2 is a strategic project (ISP) aiming to develop and to stimulate a solid environment for social security research in Norway. The project is based on research conducted in the Treff-project (ISP 2010-2015). Its basic tenet is that in modern welfare states there is a tension between the concerns related to income security provision and those related to incentives and activation.
The balance between these concerns is disturbed by new political impulses and external demographic and economic shocks. The Norwegian welfare state has experienced both: international impulses and political trends are towards more activation, often in the form of sanctions and conditionality, while the oil price plummets, unemployment rises and Norway experiences record-high inflow of asylum seekers. In such an environment, the social security policy will have to be adapted.
Project Module A
Treff-2 comprises two major research modules; Module A is on politics and legitimacy, i.e., studies of polical support and motivation for changes and the relationship between public opinion and politics.
Project Module B
Module B is on implementation and outcomes, i.e., studies of how politics affect case-workers practice and the clients’ responses to these practices. Both projects employ qualitative and quantitative data, based on surveys and administrative registers. Both modules also explicitly endorse comparative dimensions.
Project Organization
Treff-2 is a collaboration between Institute for Social Research (ISF) and Center for the Study of Professions (SPS) at the Oslo and Akershus College of Applied Sciences. I addition the project involves collaboration with different departments and centres at the University in Oslo, such as Department of Economics, ESOP, Department of Political Science and Department of Sociology.
See also:
Participants







Publications
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Trætteberg, Håkon Solbu & Grødem, Anne Skevik (2021). From national activation legislation to local practices in Norway—Why the same law gives diverse practices. International Journal of Social Welfare. doi: 10.1111/ijsw.12513. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
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Barth, Erling; Moene, Karl Ove (Kalle) & Pedersen, Axel West (2021). Rising Inequality in the Egalitarian Nordics. In Fischer, Georg & Strauss, Robert (Ed.), Europe's Income, Wealth, Consumption, and Inequality. Oxford University Press. p. 219–246. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780197545706.003.0006. Full text in Research Archive
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Gjersøe, Heidi Moen (2020). Frontline provision of integrated welfare and employment services: Organising for activation competency. International Journal of Social Welfare. 30(3), p. 280–290. doi: 10.1111/ijsw.12464.
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Leseth, Anne; Vilhena, Susana & Gjersøe, Heidi Moen (2020). Aktivitetspliktens innside og utside – Unge mottakere av sosialhjelp og deres erfaringer med aktivitetsplikt . Tidsskrift for velferdsforskning. 23(2), p. 126–139. doi: 10.18261/issn.0809-2052-2020-02-04. Full text in Research Archive
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Haugsgjerd, Atle & Kumlin, Staffan (2019). Konsensus om den norske velferdsstaten? In Bergh, Johannes & Aardal, Bernt (Ed.), Velgere og valgkamp. En studie av stortingsvalget 2017. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. p. 201–222.
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Grødem, Anne Skevik & Terum, Lars Inge (2019). Kommunal inntektssikring. In Bay, Ann-Helén; Hatland, Aksel; Hellevik, Tale & Terum, Lars Inge (Ed.), Trygd i aktiveringens tid. Gyldendal Akademisk. p. 251–268.
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Haugsgjerd, Atle & Kumlin, Staffan (2019). Downbound spiral? Economic grievances, perceived social protection and political distrust . West European Politics. doi: 10.1080/01402382.2019.1596733. Full text in Research Archive
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Gjersøe, Heidi Moen (2019). Profesjoner. In Brodtkorb, Elisabeth & Rugkåsa, Marianne (Ed.), Mellom mennesker og samfunn : sosiologi og sosialantropologi for helse- og sosialprofesjonene. Gyldendal Akademisk. p. 41–61.
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Bay, Ann-Helén; Hatland, Aksel; Pedersen, Axel West & Terum, Lars Inge (2019). Kapittel 1: Trygd, arbeid og aktivering. In Bay, Ann-Helén; Hatland, Aksel; Hellevik, Tale & Terum, Lars Inge (Ed.), Trygd i aktiveringens tid. Gyldendal Akademisk. p. 13–32.
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Bryson, Alex & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2019). The Role of Employer-Provided Sick Pay in Britain and Norway. Research in Labor Economics. 47, p. 227–252. doi: 10.1108/S0147-912120190000047008. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
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Knutsen, Carl Henrik & Rasmussen, Magnus Bergli (2019). Majoritarian systems, rural groups, and (arrested) welfare state development. International Political Science Review. doi: 10.1177/0192512118809106. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
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Grødem, Anne Skevik (2019). Familier og barn. In Bay, Ann-Helén; Hatland, Aksel; Hellevik, Tale & Terum, Lars Inge (Ed.), Trygd i aktiveringens tid. Gyldendal Akademisk. p. 160–175.
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Grødem, Anne Skevik & Vilhena, Susana (2019). Samhandling i frontlinjen på NAV-kontoret. In Bay, Ann-Helén; Hatland, Aksel; Hellevik, Tale & Terum, Lars Inge (Ed.), Trygd i aktiveringens tid. Gyldendal Akademisk. p. 294–310.
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Eriksen, Andreas (2018). Reclaiming Responsibility: The Case of Welfare-to-Work Policy. Journal of Social Policy. p. 1–18. doi: 10.1017/S0047279418000612.
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Eriksen, Andreas & Molander, Anders (2018). Welfare reform and public justification. Policy Studies. p. 1–20. doi: 10.1080/01442872.2018.1538487.
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Terum, Lars Inge; Torsvik, Gaute & Øverbye, Einar (2018). Discrimination against ethnic minorities in activation programme? Evidence from a vignette experiment. Journal of Social Policy. 47(1), p. 39–56. doi: 10.1017/S0047279417000113. Show summary
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Knutsen, Carl Henrik & Rasmussen, Magnus (2018). The Autocratic Welfare State: Old-Age Pensions, Credible Commitments, and Regime Survival. Comparative Political Studies. 51(5), p. 659–695. doi: 10.1177/0010414017710265. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
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Godøy, Anna Aasen & Dale-Olsen, Harald (2018). Spillovers from gatekeeping – Peer effects in absenteeism. Journal of Public Economics. 167, p. 190–204. doi: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2018.08.015. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
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Kumlin, Staffan & Haugsgjerd, Atle (2017). The Welfare State and Political Trust: Bringing Performance Back In. In Zmerli, Sonja & van der Meer, Tom (Ed.), Handbook on Political Trust. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 285–301.
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Terum, Lars Inge; Torsvik, Gaute & Øverbye, Einar (2017). Når vilkår og aktivitetskrav brytes. Frontlinjearbeideres tilnærming til sanksjoner. Søkelys på arbeidslivet. 34(3), p. 147–166. doi: 10.18261/issn.1504-7989-2017-03-01. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
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Brochmann, Grete & Grødem, Anne Skevik (2017). Den norske modellens møte med innvandring - et regime i endring. In Stamsø, Mary Ann (Eds.), Velferdsstaten i endring : Om norsk helse- og sosialpolitikk (3. utg). Gyldendal Akademisk. p. 362–381. Full text in Research Archive
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Grødem, Anne Skevik (2017). Farvel til den barnevennlige velferdsstaten? In Bendiksen, Stian Carstens; Helseth, Sverre & Lundgren, Charlotte (Ed.), Oppvekstrapporten 2017. Økte forskjeller - gjør det noe?. Barne-, ungdoms- og familiedirektoratet. p. 184–200.
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Pedersen, Axel West (2017). Norsk trygdepolitikk i internasjonalt perspektiv. In Stamsø, Mary Ann (Eds.), Velferdsstaten i endring : Om norsk helse- og sosialpolitikk (3. utg). Gyldendal Akademisk. p. 382–401. Full text in Research Archive
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Rasmussen, Magnus & Pontusson, Jonas (2017). Working-Class Strength by Institutional Design? Unionization, Partisan Politics, and Unemployment Insurance Systems, 1870 to 2010. Comparative Political Studies. 51(6), p. 793–828. doi: 10.1177/0010414017710269. Show summary
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Pedersen, Axel West & Kuhnle, Stein (2017). The Nordic welfare state model. In Knutsen, Oddbjørn P. (Eds.), The Nordic Models in Political Science : Challenged, but Still Viable?. Fagbokforlaget. p. 219–238. Full text in Research Archive
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Grødem, Anne Skevik (2017). Family-oriented policies in Scandinavia and the challenge of immigration. Journal of European Social Policy. 27(1), p. 77–89. doi: 10.1177/0958928716673315. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
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Kumlin, Staffan; Stadelmann-Steffen, Isabelle & Haugsgjerd, Atle (2017). Trust and the Welfare State. In Uslaner, Eric M. (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Social and Political Trust (online version published January 2017). Oxford University Press. p. 385–408. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190274801.013.8.
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Finseraas, Henning & Kotsadam, Andreas (2017). Ancestry Culture and Female Employment - An Analysis Using Second-Generation Siblings. European Sociological Review. 33(3), p. 382–392. doi: 10.1093/esr/jcx048. Full text in Research Archive
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Terum, Lars Inge & Adler, Michael (2017). Austerity, conditionality and litigation in six European countries. In Matteucci, Stefano Civitarese & Halliday, Simon (Ed.), Social rights in Europe in an age of austerity. Routledge. p. 147–177. doi: 10.4324/9781315204574-7.
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Grødem, Anne Skevik & Hatland, Aksel (2017). Family and Working Life in the Nordic Countries. In Petersen, Klaus; Kuhnle, Stein; Otsuka, Yoko; Kettunen, Pauli & Kamiko, Akio (Ed.), The Nordic Welfare Model: Still Sustainable? Five Exceptions and Policy Cooperation. Minerva Shobou.
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Grødem, Anne Skevik (2016). Fra Castberg til Solberg: Aleneforsørgernes vekst og fall i norsk sosialpolitikk. Sosiologisk Tidsskrift. 24(4), p. 303–326. doi: 10.18261/issn.1504-2928-2016-04-03. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
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Grødem, Anne Skevik (2016). Migration as a Challenge to the Nordic Welfare States. In Veggeland, Noralv (Eds.), The Current Nordic Welfare State Model. Nova Science Publishers. p. 149–170. Full text in Research Archive
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Bay, Ann-Helén; Hatland, Aksel; Hellevik, Tale & Terum, Lars Inge (2019). Trygd i aktiveringens tid. Gyldendal Akademisk. 370 p.
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Terum, Lars Inge & Sadeghi, Talieh (2019). Medarbeidernes kompetanse ved NAV-kontorene: Endringer i utdanningsbakgrunn, læring på arbeidsplassen og kompetanse, 2011-2018. Skriftserien - OsloMet.
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Brochmann, Grete & Grødem, Anne Skevik (2019). Absorption Capacity as Means for Assessing Sustainable Immigration. EMN Norway Occasional Paper. European Migration Network Norway.
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Gjersøe, Heidi Moen; Leseth, Anne; Vilhena, Susana & Stranden, Anne Lise (2020). Unge sosialhjelpsmottakere: Aktivitetsplikt er ok, men pengetrekk kan føles urettferdig.
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Gjersøe, Heidi Moen; Leseth, Anne; Vilhena, Susana & Stranden, Anne Lise (2020). Young social welfare users: Mandatory activities are ok, but benefit sanctions can feel unfair.
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Gjersøe, Heidi Moen; Jakobsen, Siw Ellen & Leseth, Anne (2019). Flere unge blir uføretrygdet når NAV stiller krav. [Internet]. https://forskning.no/arbeid/flere-unge-blir-uforetrygdet-nar.
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Grødem, Anne Skevik (2019). Progressives facing the “progressive’s dilemma”: acknowledge, reject or redefine? .
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Terum, Lars Inge & Sadeghi, Talieh (2019). Sosialarbeidere taper terreng. [Business/trade/industry journal]. velferd.no.
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Terum, Lars Inge & Sadeghi, Talieh (2019). Medarbeidernes kompetanse ved NAV-kontorene.
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Gjersøe, Heidi Moen & Strand, Anne Hege Henden (2019). Between employmer needs and client needs – Tackling a new role for the street-level organization. .
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Leseth, Anne & Gjersøe, Heidi Moen (2019). "All I want now is to get a job, so that I can prove something" Experiences and conceptualization of work amoung Young social Assistant recipients in Norway.
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Gjersøe, Heidi Moen (2019). Welfare Conditionality for young benefit recipients - Towards Individual Problem Explanations in an Encompassing Welfare State?
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Grødem, Anne Skevik (2019). Hvordan få flere i arbeid i Norge?
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Leseth, Anne; Gjersøe, Heidi Moen & Vilhena, Susana (2019). KAI-kronikken: Implementering av aktivitetsplikt – en maternalistisk praksis. Show summary
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Grødem, Anne Skevik (2018). Hvem har rett til offentlig forsørgelse? Velferdsdebatt etter finanskrise og migrantkrise.
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Dale-Olsen, Harald & Godøy, Anna Aasen (2018). Kollegaens fastlege påvirker ditt sykefravær. Aftenposten Viten. p. 12–13. Show summary
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Pedersen, Axel West (2018). Norsk velferdspolitikk. Nordisk modell konservert i olje(penger)? .
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Grødem, Anne Skevik (2018). Familiepolitikk i endring? Betydningen av innvandring og integrering.
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Gjersøe, Heidi Moen (2018). Bort fra rettighetstenkningen? NAV-veilederes håndtering av aktivitetskrav og sanksjoner overfor trygde- og sosialhjelpsmottakere.
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Gjersøe, Heidi Moen (2018). "I believe that mandatory activation is a tool to help people further" – front line workers’ experiences with mandatory activation in Norway (presentation of working paper co-written with Anne Leseth and Susana Vilhena).
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Gjersøe, Heidi Moen (2018). Komplekse vurderinger i førstelinjen – arbeidsevnevurdering som aktiveringspolitisk virkemiddel.
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Dale-Olsen, Harald (2018). Økte ulikheter med sykelønnskutt? Magasinet Velferd. 107(5), p. 40–41. Show summary
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Grødem, Anne Skevik (2017). Etter gullalderen. Fra generøs velferdsstat til nidkjær aktiveringsstat?
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Grødem, Anne Skevik (2017). Integrasjon og tillit. Refleksjoner over NOU 2017:2.
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Grødem, Anne Skevik (2017). Lav sysselsetting blant innvandrere i Norge. Årsaker og konsekvenser.
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Grødem, Anne Skevik (2017). Migrasjon som utfordring for den norske velferdsmodellen.
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Grødem, Anne Skevik (2017). Høy migrasjon som utfordring for velferdsstaten: Integrasjon, samhold og tillit.
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Gjersøe, Heidi Moen (2017). Client participation in activation schemes within a holistic street-level service.
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Frøjd, Elise Koppang & Gjersøe, Heidi Moen (2017). Utfordrende oppgaver for NAVs førstelinjearbeidere. [Internet]. Viten og praksis.
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Rasmussen, Magnus; Jensen, Carsten & Andersen, David (2017). Suffering from Suffrage: Welfare State Development and the Politics of Negative Conditionality.
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Rasmussen, Magnus & Knutsen, Carl Henrik (2017). Party Institutionalization and Welfare State Development. Show summary
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Pedersen, Axel West (2017). Inequality trends in the Nordic countries: The role of social security retrenchment.
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Kumlin, Staffan (2017). Could the Political Consequences of Class Marginalization Be Different? The Political Quarterly.
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Grødem, Anne Skevik (2017). Integrasjon og tillit.
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Rasmussen, Magnus (2017). Forskning viser at: Velgerne går til høyre i nedgangstider. Dagens næringsliv.
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Gjersøe, Heidi Moen (2017). Client participation in activation schemes within a holistic street-level service.
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Eriksen, Andreas (2017). Bokanmeldelse: New Contractualism in European Welfare State Policies. Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning. 58(3), p. 357–360. doi: 10.18261/issn.1504-291X-2017-03-08.
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Vilhena, Susana (2017). The practice of social work in social assistance: understanding the implementation of active conditions and sanctions in Norway and Portugal.
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Vilhena, Susana (2017). Conditionality in social assistance in Norway and Portugal.
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Pedersen, Axel West (2017). Norge, last man standing? Nordisk likhet under press.
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Vilhena, Susana (2017). Conditionality variations in social assistance: the case of Norway and Portugal.
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Knutsen, Carl Henrik & Rasmussen, Magnus (2017). Offering pensions can help autocrats stay in power longer. Washington Post.
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Grødem, Anne Skevik (2016). The Nordic Welfare Model and the Refugee Crisis: Buffer or Weakness? OECD Insights Blog.
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Vilhena, Susana (2016). Understanding sanctions in social assistance in Norway and Portugal.
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Pedersen, Axel West (2016). Det finske borgelønnseksperimentet. En kommentar.