This article analyzes the configuration - in the nation sates that constitute the European Union - of a new generation of social policies governed by the logic of activation, aimed predominately at the insertion of people in the labor market. It reviews articles by European authors who analyze the transformations that have occurred in social protection systems in these countries. It found that this logic combines a series of characteristics that support programs, projects and actions marked by their disciplinary and punitive content and which require recipients to offer counterparts for the benefits received.
Social policies; Activation; Workfare; Labor market