Contesting the meaning of active citizenship: The dynamics and strategies of associations of unemployed persons in Denmark

In the 1990s, social assistance recipients formed small networks and associations in reaction to changes in the obligations and rights of unemployed persons in Denmark. In this article, it is argued that these associations may be seen both as channels of protest and as voluntary associations which provide help and advice to clients in need. The article illustrates how changes in the social welfare system may lead to the formation of new collective actors, and it stresses that these intermediate actors may serve a very important role in challenging and renewing practices of social policy.