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Abstract
Research on networked services aimed at the (re)employment of groups marginalised from the labour market has gained momentum in different scholarly traditions (e.g., public administration, healthcare and social policy), but the topic remains somewhat fragmented. In this paper, we systematise and synthesise this research with the aim of outlining distinct research approaches, facilitating increased cross‐disciplinary understandings and promoting interdisciplinary research. Based on a systematic review of the literature (1990–2018, n = 273), we highlight four dominant research approaches: rehabilitation, disability, welfare and governance. We show that these research approaches involve distinct conceptualisations of labour market inclusion, networked services and the target groups. Nevertheless, the research approaches also apply similar terms and concepts (e.g., partnership, collaboration) but with different (more or less implicit) connotations, which lead to fragmentation. We do not suggest that there be a unified use of concepts across traditions; however, we argue for the necessity of increased awareness of the similarities and differences between these research traditions in order to increase understanding of the networked employment services available to marginalised groups.
1 INTRODUCTION
Many countries are undertaking reforms to secure the sustained employment of citizens marginalised from the labour market due to obstacles such as mental or physical disability, cognitive or behavioural challenges, low skills or language barriers (Bonoli, 2013; van Berkel, Caswell, Kupka, & Larsen, 2017). Securing employment for these groups represents a “wicked problem” (Rittel & Webber, 1973) because it involves the interests and objectives of diverse autonomous actors such as public employment services, social services, healthcare systems, educational institutions and employers. As a result of such reforms, research on networked service provision—that is, the collaboration between multiple autonomous actors—has gained momentum across different research traditions, such as public administration, healthcare and social policy.
Despite the centrality of inter‐organisational collaboration and collaborative networks in this research, there does not seem to be a comprehensive or shared understanding of networked services across different scholarly approaches. Such parallel developments reflect how research often evolves in distinct communities (Haas, 1992; Knorr‐Cetina, 1999); however, in order to capitalise on increased interdisciplinarity awareness and research, there is a need for a better understanding of how networks have been approached and studied within the field of employment services. Therefore, in this paper, our objective is to identify distinct research approaches—that is, ways of conceiving of and studying networked employment assistance—and identify potential synergies between these approaches. We do so by advancing a systematic review of the literature published between 1990 and 2018.
We find a considerable disparity across different scholarly traditions and highlight four distinct approaches: rehabilitation (involving the improvement of the health and quality of life for people with [mental] health challenges), disability (concerning how “ordinary” life courses can be secured for individuals with severe disabilities), welfare (critically assessing employment policies and their implementation) and governance (honing in on how the organisation of public administrations and services can be improved). With these four approaches in view, we provide an overview of the key differences and similarities in how networked services have been understood and researched. Based on this overview, we argue for and outline new possibilities for interdisciplinary research and learning. In particular, we endorse a more systematic integration of public administration theories of networked services and the vast array of empirical assessments of employment assistance that have been provided in other research traditions.
Before we elaborate on the literature review, we provide an overview of different conceptualisations of networked services. We use here networked services as an umbrella term for a variety of concepts or terms in the literature, as described below.
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