UK employment services: understanding provider strategies in a dynamic strategic action field
研究了英国就业服务市场中公共、私人和第三部门提供者如何应对资源减少和政策变化，通过不同策略维持自身在竞争场域中的位置。
UK employment services are increasingly delivered by public, private and third sector organisations in quasi-markets that can be viewed as fields with actors (providers) competing for resources and position. The commissioning of the Work Programme produced an ‘episode of contention’ as fewer resources, shifting policy priorities and new contractual arrangements restructured relationships within the field. Drawing on empirical research the paper demonstrates how providers with different resources have navigated this period, employing strategies to manage challenger and incumbent roles and maintain their position in the field. The findings contribute to both field theory and our theoretical understanding of employment services.