Possibilities and limitations in the planning and provision of local ALMPs in rural settings – perspectives from municipalities in northern Sweden

Many welfare states in the Global North have decentralised active labour market programmes (ALMPs) from national to sub-national level. But how have these decentralisation processes, taking place against the backdrop of an urban bias, affected rural municipalities? The paper aims to improve the understanding of possibilities and limitations that arise in the planning and provision of ALMPs by local governments in rural settings, by exploring and analysing rural municipalities in northern Sweden. Through interviews with municipal ALMP planners, the paper illustrates challenges related to low economies of scale, the pace of national reforms, and support for groups with low employability.