This is the second e-book of the International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy dedicated to the discussion and analysis of the introduction of new modes of governance in activation or reintegration policies. While the introduction of the previous issue focused on the concepts of "governance" and "activation", their multiple meanings and their complex and ambiguous interweaving, here we will attempt to interpret the changes addressed by those concepts in their context, in order to grasp the larger picture of the societal transformation underlying them. In other words, our starting point is the assumption that new modes of governance in activation policies are a fruitful entry point for effectively understanding deep waves of change of contemporary society.