ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the implementation of a controversial Danish neoliberal policy introduced in spring 2006 - the so-called hour rule. The hour rule - targeted at non-Western migrant women - obliged married social assistance recipients to work 150 hours during a one-year period in order to remain eligible for social assistance. In a welfare state where the activation of the unemployed is key, street-level workers (SLW) play a central role in controlling labour market availability and determining whether to enforce a sanction. The chapter provides insight into the Danish policy context and the hour rule, and presents the research approach. The accession of the Liberal-Conservative minority government in 2001 signified a change in the policy towards immigrants in Denmark. The new government believed that the previous integration efforts via skills upgrading had been ineffective. The break with coping behaviour meant that, from the clients' point of view, SLW became a 'helping hand' rather than a 'barrier'.
