Gesine Fuchs

Working under the conditions of social welfare: legal framework, prevalence and regulatory gaps

The transformation from the traditional social welfare state to the activating welfare state has often led to workfare policies, linking welfare payments to the mandatory participation in occupational programmes or public works. Our research focuses on the implementation of such measures, on their prevalence, and on the legal conditions of the occupational programs organized by (or made mandatory by) social welfare programs in Switzerland. The legal research will analyze the constitutional and human rights frame in Switzerland, taking into account the complex regulations due to federalism. We will then assess the actual situation in various Swiss states (cantons) using empirical studies with social science methods. The results of our study will clarify the legal framework for these programs, explain their varied functions in political discourse, and finally give recommendations on future regulations.