This paper summarises the conclusions from a more extensive report commissioned by the Treasury a... more This paper summarises the conclusions from a more extensive report commissioned by the Treasury and the Ministry of Social Policy to provide an explanation of growth in welfare benefit receipt in Britain in the period 1971 to 1997. The study is structured around a simple heuristic model of four sets of influences, 'drivers', the interaction of which helps to explain trends in claimant caseloads: the economy, demography, welfare institutions and belief systems. Four sets of claimants are considered: unemployed people, disabled people, retirement pensioners and children and families. It assembles a widely dispersed literature, in the first comprehensive review of the evidence on this issue. The conclusions reported here are supported in the full report by a wide range of data and analyses. The full report has been extensively edited, updated, reformatted and published in September 2000 by the Policy Press at the University of Bristol, under the title The Making of A Welfare Cl...
Child poverty has serious consequences for individuals and wider social implications. These inclu... more Child poverty has serious consequences for individuals and wider social implications. These include losses to the economy through reduced productivity, lower educational attainment and poor health. While there is a growing body of evidence on child poverty, comparatively few studies have attached a financial cost to these consequences. This report reviews evidence on the impacts of child poverty in industrialised, OECD counties. It explores the short-, medium- and long-term consequences for individuals, families, neighbourhoods, society and the economy in the following areas:
Rights and responsibilities lie at the heart of New Labour's social policies. Children and yo... more Rights and responsibilities lie at the heart of New Labour's social policies. Children and young people present a challenge to the social contractual model of responsibility evident in policy spheres. Government is torn between the notion that children are dependent on parents for well-being, and the idea that individuals should take responsibility for their own actions. The article examines the problem of childhood in social policy through an examination of the conflicting messages emerging out of family policy and anti-social behaviour policies. Policy discourses are then critically evaluated with reference to a qualitative study of children's ideas about responsibility. The authors suggest that policies relating to children can learn from children's private experience of responsibility in the home, and from the complex and rich ways in which children understand the moral and relational components of responsibility.
A marked increase in the prevalence of homelessness among single people has coincided with a rene... more A marked increase in the prevalence of homelessness among single people has coincided with a renewed debate concerning the nature of the problem and the most appropriate policy response. The paper provides a brief discussion of these developments before presenting the key findings of a study of the closure of Alvaston Resettlement Unit, near Derby. These findings relate primarily to white men, but the paper considers what they indicate about the experiences, wants and needs of single homeless people in general. In particular, the study revealed an enormous diversity in lifestyles and aspirations which suggests that the ‘good‐housekeeping’ model of resettlement may often be inappropriate. The paper calls for a pluralistic approach which recognises an important role for direct access hostels.
Bulletin de Méthodologie Sociologique, 1993
Une nouvel approach au dynamique de la pauvreté Une nouvelle approche de la dynamique de la pauvr... more Une nouvel approach au dynamique de la pauvreté Une nouvelle approche de la dynamique de la pauvreté. Les études sur la pauvreté qui utilisent des données issues d'un panel ont du tenir compte du problème des périodes dissimulées (cette dissimulation se présente quand une période de pauvreté commence ou finit en dehors de la période d'observation du panel). La solution
A report of research carried out by the Centre for Research in Social Policy, National Centre for... more A report of research carried out by the Centre for Research in Social Policy, National Centre for Social Research, Social Policy Research Unit and Institute for Employment Research on behalf of the Department of Social Security and the Department for Education and Employment
THE AMERICANIZATION OF BRITISH WELFARE: A CASE STUDY OF POLICY TRANSFER ... state should provide ... more THE AMERICANIZATION OF BRITISH WELFARE: A CASE STUDY OF POLICY TRANSFER ... state should provide public services of high quality to the whole community, as well as cash benefits. Those who are disabled should get the support they need to lead a fulfilling life with ...
This paper summarises the conclusions from a more extensive report commissioned by the Treasury a... more This paper summarises the conclusions from a more extensive report commissioned by the Treasury and the Ministry of Social Policy to provide an explanation of growth in welfare benefit receipt in Britain in the period 1971 to 1997. The study is structured around a simple heuristic model of four sets of influences, 'drivers', the interaction of which helps to explain trends in claimant caseloads: the economy, demography, welfare institutions and belief systems. Four sets of claimants are considered: unemployed people, disabled people, retirement pensioners and children and families. It assembles a widely dispersed literature, in the first comprehensive review of the evidence on this issue. The conclusions reported here are supported in the full report by a wide range of data and analyses. The full report has been extensively edited, updated, reformatted and published in September 2000 by the Policy Press at the University of Bristol, under the title The Making of A Welfare Cl...
Child poverty has serious consequences for individuals and wider social implications. These inclu... more Child poverty has serious consequences for individuals and wider social implications. These include losses to the economy through reduced productivity, lower educational attainment and poor health. While there is a growing body of evidence on child poverty, comparatively few studies have attached a financial cost to these consequences. This report reviews evidence on the impacts of child poverty in industrialised, OECD counties. It explores the short-, medium- and long-term consequences for individuals, families, neighbourhoods, society and the economy in the following areas:
Rights and responsibilities lie at the heart of New Labour's social policies. Children and yo... more Rights and responsibilities lie at the heart of New Labour's social policies. Children and young people present a challenge to the social contractual model of responsibility evident in policy spheres. Government is torn between the notion that children are dependent on parents for well-being, and the idea that individuals should take responsibility for their own actions. The article examines the problem of childhood in social policy through an examination of the conflicting messages emerging out of family policy and anti-social behaviour policies. Policy discourses are then critically evaluated with reference to a qualitative study of children's ideas about responsibility. The authors suggest that policies relating to children can learn from children's private experience of responsibility in the home, and from the complex and rich ways in which children understand the moral and relational components of responsibility.
A marked increase in the prevalence of homelessness among single people has coincided with a rene... more A marked increase in the prevalence of homelessness among single people has coincided with a renewed debate concerning the nature of the problem and the most appropriate policy response. The paper provides a brief discussion of these developments before presenting the key findings of a study of the closure of Alvaston Resettlement Unit, near Derby. These findings relate primarily to white men, but the paper considers what they indicate about the experiences, wants and needs of single homeless people in general. In particular, the study revealed an enormous diversity in lifestyles and aspirations which suggests that the ‘good‐housekeeping’ model of resettlement may often be inappropriate. The paper calls for a pluralistic approach which recognises an important role for direct access hostels.
Bulletin de Méthodologie Sociologique, 1993
Une nouvel approach au dynamique de la pauvreté Une nouvelle approche de la dynamique de la pauvr... more Une nouvel approach au dynamique de la pauvreté Une nouvelle approche de la dynamique de la pauvreté. Les études sur la pauvreté qui utilisent des données issues d'un panel ont du tenir compte du problème des périodes dissimulées (cette dissimulation se présente quand une période de pauvreté commence ou finit en dehors de la période d'observation du panel). La solution
A report of research carried out by the Centre for Research in Social Policy, National Centre for... more A report of research carried out by the Centre for Research in Social Policy, National Centre for Social Research, Social Policy Research Unit and Institute for Employment Research on behalf of the Department of Social Security and the Department for Education and Employment
THE AMERICANIZATION OF BRITISH WELFARE: A CASE STUDY OF POLICY TRANSFER ... state should provide ... more THE AMERICANIZATION OF BRITISH WELFARE: A CASE STUDY OF POLICY TRANSFER ... state should provide public services of high quality to the whole community, as well as cash benefits. Those who are disabled should get the support they need to lead a fulfilling life with ...
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