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Early-Stage Researchers Conference | Bordeaux, 12 &#38; 13 mai 2014Major changes have occurred in Europe within the past decade in the field of employment and social cohesion policies. Indeed, the high unemployment rates that currently characterize most European countries have shifted the focus on labour market integration policies. Activation policies have been promoted and implemented to different extents in various countries. One of the key features of this trend is a call for increasing linkages between formerly separated policy sectors such as health, social assistance, immigration, vocational training, and childcare (Barbier, 2000). Leading in some cases, to a reshuffling of the dedicated public policies (Barbier, 2006; Eichhorst &#38; Konle-Seidl, 2008).New forms of governance and new policies are challenging former delivery systems. This promotion of cross-sectoriality not only affects the development of the policies, but it also impacts in service delivery systems, and hence, on street level bureaucrats’ work. Indeed, street level bureaucrats have to deal with new governance schemes, new instruments and new paradigms. Hence, their practises are confronted with new models that challenge their former ways of working. Thus, we argue that in a context where cross-sectoriality is acknowledged by national actors and presented as a solution to complex societal issues, street level bureaucrats represents a level where we can clearly grasp the challenges raised by this promoted trend. The analysis of the delivery of services can shed light on the different obstacles to and limits of integrated activation policies, as it shows how such policies are implemented on the field (Lipsky, 1980; Wildavsky &#38; Pressman, 1984). Hence, studying public policy ‘in practice’ should enable us to get a comprehensive understanding of this integrated approach of welfare policies. (...)Lire la suite : call for abstracts final 8Deadline: February 15, 2014