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The ‘Welfare State’ and the Labour Market

Pat Thane

in Work and Pay in 20th Century Britain

State welfare expenditure has both a direct and indirect impact upon the labour market and on economic efficiency in general. The definition of what is, or is not, ‘welfare’ expenditure is broad and ... More

State welfare expenditure has both a direct and indirect impact upon the labour market and on economic efficiency in general. The definition of what is, or is not, ‘welfare’ expenditure is broad and shifting. It may, for example, include subsidies to public transport or the costs arising from legal controls on wages and work conditions, as well as the costs of social services and other benefits funded from taxation. It also includes the social policies which have been most closely identified with the British ‘welfare state’ — social security, health, education, and housing. Since the early 20th century these have had a continuing, close, relationship with government perceptions of the needs of the labour market. This chapter traces this relationship between government social policies and the labour market chronologically through the century.Less

Welfare to work, social justice and domination: an introduction to an interdisciplinary normative perspective on welfare policies

Anja Eleveld, Thomas Kampen, and Josien Arts

in Welfare to Work in Contemporary European Welfare States: Legal, Sociological and Philosophical Perspectives on Justice and Domination

In the last decades, rights to social assistance benefits have become more conditional. Governments in Europe, as in other welfare states, have sought to ‘activate’ their unemployed citizens by ... More

In the last decades, rights to social assistance benefits have become more conditional. Governments in Europe, as in other welfare states, have sought to ‘activate’ their unemployed citizens by requiring them to participate in mandatory work programmes. This chapter examines how liberal and communitarian thinkers have justified or rejected welfare-to-work (WTW) policies within social assistance systems and how these policies have been legitimised by key notions of inclusion, responsibilisation, employability and empowerment, which correspond with liberal and communitarian justifications of WTW. Drawing on critical socio-legal literature, the authors question these justifications and clarify their decision to explore WTW from a threefold normative perspective that takes into account: 1) power relations and human social rights (the legal perspective); 2) lived experiences within WTW relationships, including endemic power asymmetries and perceptions of justice (the sociological perspective); and 3) the republican theory of non-domination (the philosophical perspective). The last part of this chapter introduces the chapters of this book.Less

The duty to work as precondition for human dignity: a Swiss perspective on work programmes

Melanie Studer and Kurt Pärli

in Welfare to Work in Contemporary European Welfare States: Legal, Sociological and Philosophical Perspectives on Justice and Domination

In Switzerland, the participation in certain work programmes is an eligibility criterion to social assistance benefits and the constitutionally granted right to the financial means required for a ... More

In Switzerland, the participation in certain work programmes is an eligibility criterion to social assistance benefits and the constitutionally granted right to the financial means required for a decent standard of living. This chapter examines whether the implementation of these programmes is in accordance with fundamental rights and more precisely, whether they respect the normative framework elaborated in Chapter 4. As will be shown, the right to financial assistance when in need has close links to human dignity. Therefore, the evaluation of the mentioned work programmes against the human rights background leads to some critical conclusions on their compatibility with international human rights law in general and human dignity in particular. Especially, the authors argue that the Swiss Federal Supreme Court’s case law lacks a comprehensive approach for the evaluation of human rights infringements in this context.Less

The right to work: a justification for welfare to work?

Elise Dermine

in Welfare to Work in Contemporary European Welfare States: Legal, Sociological and Philosophical Perspectives on Justice and Domination

The promoters of welfare-to-work programmes sometimes state that these are based on the will to ‘better realise’ the right to work of their recipients. This chapter questions this assumption and ... More

The promoters of welfare-to-work programmes sometimes state that these are based on the will to ‘better realise’ the right to work of their recipients. This chapter questions this assumption and examines whether and under which conditions, those programmes could eventually find their foundation on the fundamental right to work proclaimed in international human rights texts. It demonstrates from an analysis of the international pacts, their preparatory texts and the case law that welfare-to-work measures can only be considered as aimed at realising the right to work if they are likely to improve the chances of their recipients to later find a freely chosen, paid and productive job in the labour market. It shows that this open and abstract condition excludes a large part of welfare-to-work measures from a human rights-based justification for the type of work they value or the way they are implemented.Less

Limitation of welfare to work: the prohibition of forced labour and the right to freely chosen work

Elise Dermine

in Welfare to Work in Contemporary European Welfare States: Legal, Sociological and Philosophical Perspectives on Justice and Domination

Welfare-to-work programmes imply a legal duty to perform work, often accompanied by sanctions which can be questioned from the angle of human rights and the freedom of work. The chapter examines the ... More

Welfare-to-work programmes imply a legal duty to perform work, often accompanied by sanctions which can be questioned from the angle of human rights and the freedom of work. The chapter examines the conformity of those programmes with the prohibition of forced labour and the right to freely chosen work proclaimed in international human rights instruments. It shows that the mandatory character of those programmes does not violate per se the prohibition of forced labour, neither the right to freely chosen work. However, those fundamental rights set limits and frames the development of welfare to work measures. Through a rigorous analysis of the emerging international case law, the chapter identifies six criteria for assessing the conformity of welfare-to-work programmes with those rights.Less

Conclusion: exit, voice and the minimization of domination in welfare to work relationships

Anja Eleveld

in Welfare to Work in Contemporary European Welfare States: Legal, Sociological and Philosophical Perspectives on Justice and Domination

This chapter draws together the book’s main conclusions by connecting the findings of its various chapters. It first analyses the relationship between the human rights perspective presented in the ... More

This chapter draws together the book’s main conclusions by connecting the findings of its various chapters. It first analyses the relationship between the human rights perspective presented in the book’s legal section and the republican theory of non-domination. Subsequently, it assesses the cross-national variations found in the legal and sociological chapters. Based on this analysis, it proposes institutional, organisational and legal improvements to WTW policies that seek to minimise relations of domination.Less

What Happens When Abusers Follow Women to Work?

Lisa D. Brush

in Poverty, Battered Women, and Work in U.S. Public Policy

Conventional wisdom assumes that work requirements give women an escape route or greater leverage in their abusive relationships and give men material incentives to support and encourage women’s ... More

Conventional wisdom assumes that work requirements give women an escape route or greater leverage in their abusive relationships and give men material incentives to support and encourage women’s employment. This chapter opens with the story of Larnice, whose experiences contradict that conventional wisdom. The chapter then presents and interpret interview evidence about the characteristics and dynamics of specifically work-related control, abuse, and sabotage. Work-family conflict sometimes becomes literal; the chapter shows what happens during conflicts about work, conflicts that interfere with work, and conflicts that follow women to work. Interrupting, controlling, or thwarting women’s employment or their transition from welfare to work are all significant methods, means, and mechanisms of men’s directly establishing dominance, enforcing control, and exercising coercion in relationships. The chapter defines and describes work-related control, abuse, and sabotage as they shape the lives of Larnice and other members of her cohort of welfare-to-work program participants.Less

The prohibition of forced labour and the right to freely chosen work: a comparison of Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK

Anja Eleveld, Neville Harris, and Christian H. Schøler

in Welfare to Work in Contemporary European Welfare States: Legal, Sociological and Philosophical Perspectives on Justice and Domination

This chapter uses the six legal safeguards, identified in chapter 4, that concretise the proportionality test under the prohibition of forced labour and the right to freely chosen work to evaluate ... More

This chapter uses the six legal safeguards, identified in chapter 4, that concretise the proportionality test under the prohibition of forced labour and the right to freely chosen work to evaluate the national social assistance legislation in Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK. The analysis shows that none of the national legislation complies with all six safeguards. The Dutch legislation stands out for its lack of legal regulation with respect to the duty to participate in work programmes. In addition, a comparison between the Danish and the British WTW law shows that, while the Danish legal provisions aim at a collaboration between the recipient of social assistance benefits and the authorities, the British provisions reflect the aim of the national authorities to control the recipient.Less

Pressing, repressing and accommodating: local modes of governing social assistance recipients in welfare to work programmes in the Netherlands

Josien Arts

in Welfare to Work in Contemporary European Welfare States: Legal, Sociological and Philosophical Perspectives on Justice and Domination

This chapter shows the differences between local welfare-to-work programmes in the Netherlands in terms of the ways in which social assistance recipients are directed towards paid labour: through ... More

This chapter shows the differences between local welfare-to-work programmes in the Netherlands in terms of the ways in which social assistance recipients are directed towards paid labour: through pressing, repressing and accommodating modes of governing. Based on 13-month ethnographic research in three Dutch social assistance offices, this chapter argues, first, that the observed local differences result from decentralisation of policy design and implementation as well as increased discretionary power for case managers. Second, that the different local practices can be understood as varieties of neoliberal paternalism legitimised through various forms of stigmatisation of social assistance recipients that leave little room for them to revolt against disfunctioning policy and wrongful treatment. Third, by means of using the republican theory of non-domination, this chapter argues that the observed local differences (between as well as within municipalities) and limited room for social assistance recipients to voice their concerns indicate that Dutch welfare-to-work policies work partly in arbitrary ways and are insufficiently democratically controlled.Less

Implementing social justice within activation policies: the contribution of the capability approach

Jean-Michel Bonvin and Luca Perrig

in Welfare to Work in Contemporary European Welfare States: Legal, Sociological and Philosophical Perspectives on Justice and Domination

This chapter seeks to evaluate welfare-to-work policies in Switzerland through the lens of the theory of non-domination, using the theoretical tools developed by the capability approach and the ... More

This chapter seeks to evaluate welfare-to-work policies in Switzerland through the lens of the theory of non-domination, using the theoretical tools developed by the capability approach and the French economy of conventions. Particular attention is paid to the normativity that is conveyed at each of the three stages of the policy-making process: its design by policy-makers and high civil servants, its implementation by street-level bureaucrats, and its reception by users and beneficiaries. The economy of conventions allows for a discussion of the multiple senses of justice that are embedded in the policy instruments going down the line of implementation, and the capability approach is fruitfully mobilised in assessing the various vectors of constraint and domination that may be imposed on each actor of the policy cycle. Domination is thus conceived as emerging from considerations of desert that are imposed on street-level bureaucrats and welfare recipients. Combining qualitative research and theoretical insights, this chapter suggests that allowing a greater margin for manoeuver to street-level bureaucrats may empower recipients by facilitating the convergence of interests and thus minimising the domination that a bureaucratic apparatus frequently entails.Less

New Labour, Welfare, and Distribution

John Hills

in Inequality and the State

Analyses the impact of changes in tax and social security policy since the New Labour government came into office in the UK in May 1997. Looks at the challenges the Blair government faced in 1997 and ... More

Analyses the impact of changes in tax and social security policy since the New Labour government came into office in the UK in May 1997. Looks at the challenges the Blair government faced in 1997 and at what has been new about ‘New’ Labour policies since then. Outlines the key features of these policies, looking in turn at those connected with labour markets, incomes, social exclusion, and public spending. Examines what we know so far about the outcomes of these policies in terms of recent trends in poverty, inequality, and social exclusion, and at what modelling evidence suggests their impact will be, particularly on rates of poverty.Less

Introduction

Amir Paz-Fuchs

in Welfare to Work: Conditional Rights in Social Policy

This introductory chapter sets out the structure of the book and provides summaries for each of the following chapters.

A new welfare settlement? The Coalition government and welfare-to-work

Alan Deacon and Ruth Patrick

in The Conservative Party and social policy

This chapter tries to address three questions: First, what are the central features of the welfare-to-work programmes that were developed by New Labour and will now be expanded and intensified by the ... More

This chapter tries to address three questions: First, what are the central features of the welfare-to-work programmes that were developed by New Labour and will now be expanded and intensified by the Coalition government? Second, what explains the apparent consensus around these programmes? Third, what impacts are they likely to have upon different groups of claimants? There seems to be a marked reliance by the Coalition on efforts to reduce welfare entitlement and ensure that all benefits are strictly tied to efforts to seek work, alongside a notable commitment to simplify the benefits regime and improve the rewards of paid employment via the proposed Universal Credit. The key potential snagging points are reviewed with the current approach by exploring broad issues of concern before and focusing on two groups of benefit claimants particularly affected: lone parents and disabled people.Less

Introduction

Peter A. Kemp and Caroline Glendinning

in Cash and care: Policy challenges in the welfare state

This introductory chapter first sets out the purpose of the book, which is to examine the twin issues of cash and care – and the relationships between them – in the contemporary welfare state. It ... More

This introductory chapter first sets out the purpose of the book, which is to examine the twin issues of cash and care – and the relationships between them – in the contemporary welfare state. It discusses the breakdown of the traditional distinction between cash and care, resulting from the social and economic changes that have taken place in recent decades. The chapter considers trends such as the British government's introduction of welfare-to-work initiatives and programmes, which are designed to reduce unemployment and economic inactivity; and the growing penetration of market relationships into hitherto predominantly public sector welfare. An overview of the six parts of the book is also presented.Less

Conclusion

Amir Paz-Fuchs

in Welfare to Work: Conditional Rights in Social Policy

A vast terrain lies between basic, unconditional income policy and some of the conditions incorporated in modern welfare-to-work programmes. The purpose of this book is to assess the fairness of ... More

A vast terrain lies between basic, unconditional income policy and some of the conditions incorporated in modern welfare-to-work programmes. The purpose of this book is to assess the fairness of these conditions in light of background justifications, and to question whether the results of a policy that advances such conditions will be equitable. The book concludes by showing that rather than undermining social inclusion and labour market integration, strengthening welfare rights and relaxing preconditions on entitlement would serve the very objectives that welfare-to-work programmes are supposed to advance.Less

The Neglected Role of Community Narratives in Culturally Anchored Prevention and Public Policy

Hirokazu Yoshikawa and Maria A. Ramos Olazagasti

in Empowering Settings and Voices for Social Change

This chapter outlines some of the ways in which a community narrative perspective can enrich culturally anchored work, using examples from three studies related to HIV prevention, welfare-to-work ... More

This chapter outlines some of the ways in which a community narrative perspective can enrich culturally anchored work, using examples from three studies related to HIV prevention, welfare-to-work policies, and immigrants' use of public benefits. For each study, it describes recent data and discusses how the narrative perspective is reflected in the work, challenges it, and provides guidelines for future research and action.Less

Beyond lone parents: extending welfare-to-work to disabled people and the young unemployed

Bruce Stafford

in The welfare we want?: The British challenge for American reform

In contrast to the USA, the UK has gone beyond targeting welfare-to-work at lone parents and has embraced other client groups. This chapter explores how a generic, caseworker model of welfare-to-work ... More

In contrast to the USA, the UK has gone beyond targeting welfare-to-work at lone parents and has embraced other client groups. This chapter explores how a generic, caseworker model of welfare-to-work has been applied in Britain to young people and disabled people. Both programmes are members of the New Deal family, but differ, as might be expected, in rationale, objectives, detail, size, and outcomes. Both New Deals seek to improve the employability of their clients and prioritise job placements. The New Deal for Young People aims to remove barriers to immediate employment, so participants move as quickly as possible into employment, and to enhance longer-term employability through provision of advice/support and training. The New Deal for Disabled People is intended not only to assist those disabled people that wish to work, but also, through local partnerships, to promote the abilities of people with long-term health problems and to extend the range of services available to them.Less