‘Minestra Riscaldata?’ Using Existing Transactional Data to Provide Insight Into Relational Activity in Active Labour Market Programmes (ALMPs)?¹

This chapter aims to show how existing ‘transactional’ administrative data (‘minestra riscaldata’ – literally translated as ‘reheated soup’ meaning same old story) can be used to ‘uncover’ hidden relational aspects of outcome-based policy programmes. A mixed statistical–qualitative methodology is outlined and illustrated in the context of a case study of active labour market programmes (ALMPs) in Lombardy, Italy. The analysis makes use of administrative data reshaped using network diagrams to identify temporal change points in the evolution of relationships. The results including the graphical artefacts produced were then used in dialogue with experts and people involved in the programmes to provide new interpretations. From the discussion of the case emerges an understanding of relational dynamics, innovations in services and paths for future evaluation. Finally, the possibility of a new form of accountability, as the analysis of network dynamics, provides more granular insight into how outcomes are produced via interactions among actors.