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...

Private wealth holdings are likely to become an increasingly important determinant in the jobexit decision of elderly workers. Net wealth may correlate with worker’s characteristics thatalso determine the exit out of a job. It is therefore important to include a rich set of...

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...

Many policy makers and economists argue that financial literacy is key to financial well-being. But why do many individuals remain financially illiterate despite the apparent importance of being financially informed? This paper presents results of a field study linking individual decisions to...

This paper examines the role of work-life balance practices (WLB) in explaining the “paradoxof the contented female worker”. After establishing that females report higher levels of jobsatisfaction than men in the UK, we test whether firm characteristics such as WLB andgender segregation...