This article examines how jobcentre advisors judge the individual deservingness of their clients and investigates what role these judgements play in translating activation policies into practice. The analysis draws on qualitative data gathered in a research project on back-to-work agreements that involved several German jobcentres. It is shown that advisors vary the intensity of ‘demand’ depending on whether benefit recipients fulfil reciprocity expectations and are deemed to have control over the unemployment situation. Whether or not they choose an enabling, supporting approach, and the extent to which they do so, depends on judgements about the client’s amenability to change and the presumed outcome of labour market policy instruments. Moreover, the analysis indicates that frontline workers use experiential cues such as appearance and self-presentation in the face-to-face encounters in order to interpret the client. The findings highlight the relevance of the normative dimension of frontline work.

中文翻译：

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关于福利应得性的街头判断：就业中心顾问如何决定实施激活政策时“支持”和“需求”的个人组合

本文研究了就业中心顾问如何判断其客户的个人价值，并调查这些判断在将激活政策转化为实践中所起的作用。该分析利用了一项涉及多个德国就业中心的复工协议研究项目中收集的定性数据。结果表明，顾问根据福利接受者是否满足互惠期望并被认为对失业情况有控制权来改变“需求”的强度。他们是否选择一种支持性的、支持性的方法，以及他们这样做的程度，取决于对客户改变的顺从性和劳动力市场政策工具的假定结果的判断。而且，分析表明，一线工作人员在面对面的接触中使用经验线索，例如外表和自我介绍来解读客户。研究结果强调了一线工作规范维度的相关性。