Strengthening responsiveness through innovation and Co-creation of Knowledge between Employment Services and Research

Developing employment services that are responsive to the needs of vulnerable unemployed poses a continual challenge for street level bureaucrats and management across Europe and beyond (van Berkel et al. 2017). The role of knowledge, derived from both research and practical experience, plays a pivotal role in addressing this challenge. However, there is still limited research on understanding the processes of knowledge mobilization (Davies et al. 2015). This paper explores a collaborative and innovative partnership spanning over more than four years, where a group of social science researchers, including the authors, closely collaborated with six municipalities to enhance responsive employment services through processes of knowledge mobilization (Larsen & Caswell 2022). This approach represents a novel perspective on innovation within the context of street level bureaucracy. Utilizing extensive ethnographic and qualitative data, primarily through interviews and observations, researchers engaged in repeated visits to the municipalities. They also established platforms for knowledge exchange in an explorative and innovative process. By coding this vast qualitative material, with a specific focus on how knowledge traverses between the realms of research and practice over time, the paper aims to contribute to the understanding of knowledge mobilization. The paper further aspires to address the implementation challenges associated with developing more responsive services in Active Labour Market Policy (ALMP) organisations in Denmark and beyond. The analysis delves into how knowledge is co-created in dialogues between frontline workers and researchers, how conceptual knowledge challenges and transforms practical understandings, and how dilemmas and problems in practice find their way into research. The findings suggest that co-creating knowledge has the potential to support the development of more responsive welfare services. It empowers frontline workers to cultivate collective, reflective practices and propel research towards deeper insights into the dilemmas of practice within the field of ALMP.