The Distributive Consequences of Active Welfare Policies in Europe

ABSTRACT This article examines the distributive consequences of active welfare policies in Europe by analysing tier‐specific investments in individualised employment services across four European welfare states: Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. We find marked variation in the allocation of active labour market services between contributory unemployment insurance schemes and non‐contributory minimum income schemes. While Germany adheres to a conservative rationale favouring insured, work‐ready unemployed, the Netherlands reflects a liberal orientation favouring more vulnerable, uninsured unemployed. Denmark exhibits a transition from conservative to liberal, and the UK applies a pragmatic trampoline logic privileging individuals with intermediate labour market proximity. The findings reveal a partial decoupling of active service investments from traditional principles of redistribution, calling for more disaggregated analyses of active welfare's stratifying effects in Europe and beyond.