The politics of ivy
“It should go without saying that data and evidence can be interpreted differently, and there are certainly many and varied arguments to be had about the best ways to address entrenched social exclusion. But that is not what is currently happening.” Jane Mansour is concerned about the disregard of evidence when it comes to welfare to work policy.
The value of nothing
“If you are paying by results, spending less than you thought you would should not be cause for celebration. The implications of under-spending are far-reaching.” Jane Mansour argues that any ‘savings’ made by PbR initiatives such as the Work Programme in fact represent a direct cut for the people they are supposed to help, and could increase the welfare budget in the long-run.
Cycling not shirking
The shirkers/strivers debate is founded in misconception – assuming there are two static groups in opposition to each other misunderstands and misrepresents the dynamism of the labour market. Even at times of high unemployment there is considerable flux as people cycle between work and worklessness, low pay and no pay. Last week’s publication of the TUC […]