ABSTRACT
During the last two decades workfare programmes have come to play a much more prominent role in different welfare models not the least in the Scandinavian welfare model. 1 Participation in such programmes has become an integral part of the system, not only for long-term unemployed, but also for welfare recipients, disabled persons etc. The motivations for this development are mixed. The arguments most often presented to the public are the contribution to skill upgrading (closing the gap between minimum wages in collective wage agreements and individual skill levels) and a contribution to a better quality of life for disadvantaged individuals. However, in cases where workfare programmes are mandatory the programmes also play the role of a 'soft incentive' to (search for) work by absorbing some of the leisure time of the unemployed, thereby making employment more attractive vis-à-vis unemployment.
