This study explored the rather rapid adoption of a new surgical device — the da Vinci robot — in the Netherlands despite the high costs and its controversial clinical benefits. We used the concept ‘affordances’ as a conceptual-analytic tool to refer to the perceived promises, symbolic...

In ‘active welfare states’, labour participation is regarded essential for being part of and contributing to society. In the striving for an increase in labour participation of people who were considered (partly) disabled for work, not ‘disabilities’, but ‘abilities’ are put centre...