For whose benefit? : the everyday realities of welfare reform / Ruth Patrick.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Patrick, Ruth (Social policy researcher), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Public welfare.

Physical Description:

xiv, 255 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Bristol, UK : Policy Press, 2017.

Summary:

What does day-to-day life involve for those who receive out-of-work benefits? Is the political focus on moving people from 'welfare' and into work the right one? And do mainstream political and media accounts of the 'problem' of 'welfare' accurately reflect lived realities? For whose benefit? The everyday realities of welfare reform explores these questions by talking to those directly affected by recent reforms. Ruth Patrick interviewed single parents, disabled people and young jobseekers on benefits repeatedly over five years to find out how they experience the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and whether the welfare state still offers meaningful protection and security in times of need. She reflects on the mismatch between the portrayal of 'welfare' and everyday experiences, and the consequences of this for the UK's ongoing welfare reform programme. Exploring issues including the meaning of dependency, the impact of benefit sanctions and the reach of benefits stigma, this important book makes a timely contribution to ongoing debates about the efficacy and ethics of welfare reform. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Social citizenship from above 15

2 The emergence of a framing consensus on 'welfare' 35

3 The everyday realities of out-of-work benefits receipt 57

4 Is welfare-to-work working? Relationships with work over time 87

5 Ending welfare dependency? Experiencing welfare reform 117

6 Scroungerphobia: living with the stigma of benefits 145

7 Diverse trajectories between 2011 and 2016 171.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-248) and index.

ISBN:

9781447333487

1447333489

9781447333463

1447333462

OCLC:

986229173