Organizational outputs of political reforms: the case of the disability keyperson in job centers

Recent perspectives within theories of social policy aim to explain the outcomes of policy reforms by exploring how governance and managerial reforms effect the implementation of policy. Yet, studies have primarily focused on areas characterized by a high degree of political attention. This study examines how political intentions regarding the enrollment of disability in the Danish public employment system have been realized organizationally more than a decade after the large-scale 2007 structural reform. In particular, we focus on role of the disability keyperson as this was the only requirement of the structural reform. We report on a document analysis of policy papers and a 2019 survey with managers, caseworkers and disability keypersons (N= 453). The analysis shows a mismatch between political intentions and the actual implementation of the keyperson role which is exhibited through heterogeneity between job centers both in regards to the placement and the tasks of keypersons. We argue that, despite political intentions, the actual implementation of the keyperson function turned into a case of organizational contingencies within the job centers rather than deliberate, strategic decision-making. We invite researchers in implementation studies to derive focus on similar contingent outcomes within areas not prominent on the political agenda.