A critical perspective on the reform of Dutch social security law. The case of the life course arrangement.

This study seeks an answer to the question how the establishment of the idea of individual savings schemes in Dutch collective social security law can be critically explained. The introduction of the Life Course Arrangement serves as a paradigmatic case for this study. Based on a (juridical) discourse analysis of a selection of (policy)texts and interviews, this study shows that the establishment of the idea of individual savings schemes was, amongst other things, the result of the introduction of the new signifiers __life course__ and __life course perspective__ in the social security discourse. These signifiers made people see things in a different way and constructed a new space of representation that enabled the reconciliation of formerly opposite views. Yet , during the policy process some voices of those who, in an earlier phase joined the __life course discourse coalition__, are ignored. The policy process results in the introduction of the Life Course Arrangement constructs a self responsible life planner as a new governable subject. The insights gained in this study can both improve the methodological development of research that is based on discourse theory and incite policymakers to rethink recent social security reforms.