Minimum income and labour market integration processes: Individual and institutional determinants

This article discusses whether activation policies have had a positive effect on beneficiaries of minimum income protection in Catalonia (Spain). The article first confirms that social assistance beneficiaries with higher employability levels have greater chances of finding a job. Second, the article identifies different profiles of beneficiaries and examines the characteristics of those who did not find jobs in a favourable economic context. The results suggest that it is personal problems that act as barriers. Third, the article also examines to what extent public management is responsible for the results. For this purpose, it compares the performance of administrative units, controlling for the characteristics of their clients. Finally, the article discusses whether making social assistance dependent on activation is a good strategy for the majority of beneficiaries with particularly difficult profiles, and what administrations can do.