The frontline delivery of welfare-to-work services for the unemployed has changed significantly over the past ten years in response to structural and ideological pressures. Using benchmark data collected ten years ago, the Activating States project aims to analyse whether and how the activation of welfare clients has changed these services. This analysis will provide a means to assess the components of the new target and market-driven systems in Australia, the UK and the Netherlands and to compare different tools for managing both clients and frontline staff.