Work

What if all kinds of work were considered ‘real jobs,’ and everyone who worked had a job? Using imaginary thinking in the context of Swedish municipal activation services

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This article explores active labor market policies through a utopian lens, focusing on Swedish municipal activation services. Users of such services participated in visionary workshops and were invited to dream about what could be different in their (working) lives. In the analysis of the participants’ dreams, a tension between the internalization of and resistance to employability narratives, market logics, and capitalist structures emerges. By examining these dynamics, the article demonstrates how utopian thinking, rooted in experiences from the margins of the labor market, can inspire critiques of current labor systems and help in envisioning possible futures.

Source: Economic and Industrial Democracy

DOI: 10.1177/0143831x251326205

Authors: Maja Östling, Sara Nyhlén, Katarina Giritli Nygren

Institution: Mid Sweden University

Language: English

Topic: Employment, Labor, and Gender Studies

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,650