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British public employment service reform: activating and civilising the precariat?

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dc.contributor.author Fletcher, Del Roy
dc.date.accessioned 2022-03-30T02:30:23Z
dc.date.available 2022-03-30T02:30:23Z
dc.date.issued 2019
dc.identifier.citation : Fletcher, D.R. (2019) British public employment service reform: activating and civilising the precariat?, Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, vol 27, no 3, 407–421, DOI: 10.1332/175982719X15622552304853 sm
dc.identifier.uri DOI: 10.1332/175982719X15622552304853
dc.identifier.uri ${sadil.baseUrl}/handle/123456789/3610
dc.description 15 p. ; PDF sm
dc.description.abstract A post-industrial ‘precariat’ has emerged characterised by social insecurity to which the state’s response has been to secure habituation to insecure labour. This article provides new empirical evidence regarding how the precariat encounter and experience the reformed welfare delivery system. It seeks to explore theoretically whether the precariat is being ‘activated’ and/or ‘civilised’. The author finds that the primary role of Jobcentre Plus is to assess whether the unemployed are ‘active’. This has been interpreted by Marxist scholars as a class disciplinary project which renders labour more dependent upon precarious work. However, the evidence presented here suggests that an inappropriate white-collar model of support combined with sanctions frequently results in ill-discipline and disentitlement from benefits. Furthermore, support cannot be conceptualised as a ‘civilising offensive’ because it is not a deliberate and targeted attempt at inculcating ‘civilised’ behaviour. Moreover, rather than enforcing the norms of civilised behaviour it drives many into destitution and crime sm
dc.language.iso en sm
dc.publisher Journal of Poverty and Social Justice sm
dc.subject precariat sm
dc.subject jobcentre sm
dc.subject paternalism sm
dc.subject civilising sm
dc.subject Activation sm
dc.title British public employment service reform: activating and civilising the precariat? sm
dc.type Article sm


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