Framing the right to work: negotiating social inclusion in welfare projects targeting poor EU citizens in Sweden

In this article, we examine how the situation for contemporary poor EU migrants is framed by social work professionals involved in initiatives funded by the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived in Sweden. Through 16 semi-structured interviews with these professionals, the research questions guiding the analysis concern how they describe and frame the needs of poor EU citizens living in precarious conditions, emphasizing work as a social right as well as how they navigate the EU policy guiding their work. The analysis is informed by frame analysis as analytical approach, with a focus on identifying diagnostic and prognostic framing. The findings presented highlight the professionals’ strategies in stretching EU policy frameworks to support the category of poor EU citizens in Sweden. The results point to how professionals make use of their discretion to meet the livelihood needs of poor people by claiming their right to work.