The ethics of welfare-to-work

• Published in: Policy and politics Vol. 35; no. 4; pp. 573 - 589
• Main Author: Dean, Hartley
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Policy Press 01.10.2007; The Policy Press
• Subjects: Ambiguity; Capitalism; Classification; Criticism; Discourses; Ethics; Heuristics; Human Rights; Job training; Policy studies; Public assistance programs; Responsibility; Social values; Social Welfare; Sociology of work; Taxation; Welfare; Welfare services; Welfare state; Work; Workfare programs; welfare; ethics; responsibility; work
• ISSN: 0305-5736; 1470-8442
• DOI: 10.1332/030557307782453029

English This article explores the shifting ethical foundations of the welfare-to-work or 'workfare' state within the richer capitalist economies of the world. It provides a discussion of the historical context; a critical analysis of competing moral discourses and ethical concepts of responsibility; and, based on this, a heuristic taxonomy of different approaches to welfare-to-work. It concludes with a critique of the dominant approaches to welfareto- work, contending that they are at worst an affront to human rights and at best ethically ambiguous in that they fail to address people's need, as opposed to their responsibility, to work.