Since April 2002 Jobcentre Plus has started to operate nationwide in the UKproviding fully integrated benefit claiming and work placement/job-seekingactivities for people of working age. This new organisation put an explicitwork-focus in the delivery of the benefit system. Along with...

This paper examines the effects of recent welfare reforms in the US and UK on thewell-being of children in low-income families, looking specifically at the effects onpoverty, family expenditures, and child health and development. The paper finds somecommonalities but also some notable...

In April 2002 Jobcentre Plus started to operate in the UK bringing together theservice of the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service. Offering a fullyintegrated benefit claiming and work placement/job-seeking service for peopleof working age this new organisation aims to strengthen the link...

This paper analyses the shifting balance between public sector and privatesector welfare provision in the United Kingdom over the past two decades. Fivesectors – education, health, personal social services, housing, and incomemaintenance and social security – are examined over three time...

This paper examines the distribution of the “social wage” benefits inkind from welfare services, including the National Health Service, stateeducation, social housing, and personal social services. The currentGovernment has put a strong emphasis on improving public servicesand has begun to...

Considerable cross-sectional evidence has highlighted the lower employmentrates and earnings amongst disabled people in Britain. But very little is knownabout the progression of disabled people in employment. This study uses datafrom the Labour Force Survey (LFS) to examine the labour market...

Families with disabled children are susceptible to poverty because low incomeis compounded by high costs. Combing caring with employment is extremelydifficult, so families are heavily reliant upon benefits. But do disability benefitsprovide financial security for families who are susceptible to...

This paper analyses the economic disadvantage experienced by disabled personsof working-age using data from the British Household Panel Survey. We arguethat there are three sources of disadvantage among disabled persons: preexistingdisadvantage among those who become disabled (a ‘selection’...

In the past few years the informal sector in countries in transition hasincreasingly become the focus of research, public policy and the media.The term ‘informal sector’ has been used to describe an extremely widespectrum of activities, which do not necessarily have much in common,such as...