NEW PRINCIPLES OF REFERENCE AND DIFFERENT IATION OF POLITICAL ARBITRAGE - THE CASE OF POLICIES TO HELP THE UNEMPLOYED

This article underlines three principles of reference that renew disco urse on and comprehension of the role of the state in social protectio n towards unemployed people. At a certain level of abstraction, those principles of reference are present in many countries. They lead to la bel and to understand situations in different terms of which we were f amiliar during the Welfare State apogee. At the same time, they permit and open up to various political orientations and mechanisms of imple mentation. This dualism is emphasized. Four countries are referenced f or this discussion: Canada, France, Germany and Sweden. The study cons iders the way in which problems are stated in their principles and the implementation of programmes. Policies and programmes implemented rev eal logics of intervention which suggest different ways to consider th e articulation between the ''integrated area'' and the ''excluded area '' of the society.