The Local and Cultural Turn in Social Policies in Belgium

This research paper examines the "cultural and local turn" in Belgian social policy through the study of Social Integration Services (SIS). Established by the 2003 Walloon decree, SIS are implemented locally by Public Social Welfare Centres (CPAS) and private non-profit organisations (ASBLs). Their initial mandate aligns with the active welfare state: using subjective work and artistic practices (such as community theatre or painting) to rebuild self-confidence and social skills in long-term excluded individuals, aiming for professional reintegration. Empirical fieldwork conducted in Liège among frontline practitioners reveals a meaningful local reappropriation of this policy instrument. Benefiting from a legal framework based on an "obligation of means" rather than results, practitioners invert the standard logic of activation: low self-esteem is framed not as the primary cause of unemployment, but as a consequence of structural mechanisms of social domination. Consequently, SIS activities shift toward a care perspective focused on well-being, social ties, and individual recognition. However, this transformative potential remains limited, as activities stay largely confined to the internal workshop setting without extending into the broader public sphere. Finally, since 2024, the election of liberal-conservative coalitions at regional and federal levels has ushered in an era of "authoritarian liberalism". Prioritising direct coercion over subjective self-regulation, this new regime increases the administrative workload of CPAS while restricting the discretionary power and policy capacity delegated to local frontline actors.