Exclusion, Employment and Opportunity

The principal aim of Section F of the British Association is to show how economicanalysis can be applied to illuminate important issues of public concern. The themefor the 1997 Section F Meeting of “Equality and Opportunity” surely satisfied thiscriterion. The subject matter is highly relevant to key initiatives of the LabourGovernment elected in May 1997. The first Budget of Gordon Brown was centred onWelfare to Work, seeking to create employment opportunities for the young and thelong-term unemployed. Training, education, and the acquisition of skills are centralto the Government's programme. In August 1997, Peter Mandelson, Ministerwithout Portfolio, announced that there would be a campaign against socialexclusion as a prominent plank in government policy. December saw theestablishment of the new Social Exclusion Unit. According to the Prime Minister, thisis in many ways “the defining difference between ourselves and the previousgovernment” (The Observer, 23 November 1997).[...]