Telling tales from abroad: Australia, the Netherlands and the welfare-to-work proposals in the UK
Mabbett, Deborah (2009) Telling tales from abroad: Australia, the Netherlands and the welfare-to-work proposals in the UK. Benefits 17 (2), pp. 137-147. ISSN 0962-7898.
Abstract
Welfare-to-work schemes operate through two main channels: they monitor compliance with work-related conditions for receiving benefits, and they support people into work with job search assistance and training. This article examines how the privatisation of employment service provision affects the balance between compliance and support. It is suggested that private providers working under contracts which reward employment results have little incentive to monitor compliance. This hypothesis is supported by evidence from Australia, where contracts with providers now spell out monitoring procedures and do not heavily reward results. In the Netherlands, approaches to private contracting differ between the social insurance system (which is more oriented to results than compliance) and the social assistance system, where the municipalities are strongly compliance-oriented. The implication is that privatisation does not necessarily contribute towards enforcing benefit recipients' compliance with work-focused activity conditions.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| School: | Birkbeck Schools and Departments > School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy > Politics |
| Depositing User: | Administrator |
| Date Deposited: | 13 Jan 2011 15:24 |
| Last Modified: | 17 Apr 2013 12:18 |
| URI: | http://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/2162 |
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