Can labour activation policies also contribute to territorial development?
A new article by Raffaele Paci, Anna Pireddu and Giuliana Caruso, published in European Planning Studies, addresses this question through an analysis of the LavoRAS programme in Sardinia.
LavoRAS combines temporary employment opportunities with locally designed projects aimed at improving public services, infrastructure and territorial assets. Drawing on administrative data, interviews and a focus group, the article examines how the programme was implemented across Sardinia and why its outcomes differed between territories.
Key findings:
- Labour activation policies can support place-based development when employment objectives are effectively integrated with local development strategies.
- Governance quality is central to programme effectiveness. Stable coordination, institutional continuity and adequate local administrative capacity shape the ability of municipalities to design and implement more complex projects.
- Differences in local capacity risk reinforcing territorial inequalities, as weaker municipalities may be confined to simpler and less innovative interventions.
The Sardinian experience therefore provides a broader lesson: labour activation policies can contribute to territorial cohesion, but only when they are supported by effective multi-level governance and sufficient administrative capacity at the local level.
Read the full open-access article here:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09654313.2026.2706698
The research was conducted within the ESSPIN project, “Economic, Social, and Spatial Inequalities in Europe in the Era of Global Mega-trends”, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme.
The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance provided by the Labour Department of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia and by ASPAL, the Sardinian Agency for Active Labour Policies. They also thank the participants in the interviews and focus group for their valuable insights into the LavoRAS programme.
Raffaele Paci
Anna Pireddu
Giuliana Caruso
