July 9, 2018 Leave a Comment
Our final findings report is out today. It includes all the key findings and recommendations from our research, plus a section on methods, collected into a single volume. Read the report here
June 21, 2018 Leave a Comment
Compulsory full-time work search requirements under threat of sanctions in the benefit system can be counterproductive for service veterans, our linked project Sanctions, Support and Service Leavers said.
Its evidence to the Commons Work and Pension Committee’s inquiry into benefit sanctions said a ‘culture of compliance’ amongst veteran participants in the study got in the way of more meaningful and effective attempts to secure employment. Read More
June 20, 2018 Leave a Comment
Our Director Professor Peter Dwyer gave evidence in person on behalf of our project to the Commons Work and Pensions Committee inquiry into benefit sanctions today (20 June).
He told MPs that welfare conditionality does not move disabled people into work – ‘so we should concentrate on support’. Benefit sanctions for this group are inappropriate, he said, and should be ended.
Benefit sanctions for Universal Credit recipients who are in work are also inappropriate, Professor Dwyer said.
June 11, 2018 Leave a Comment
Our six-university project launched its final research findings at Westminster on 22 May. A packed audience of parliamentarians and their researchers, representatives from leading campaign organisations and policy influencers heard the project’s verdict that conditionality in the welfare system is largely ineffective in getting people into the paid labour market. The event was hosted by York Central MP Rachael Maskell (pictured right) who promised to use the findings in parliament.
The findings and calls for a rebalancing of sanctions and support, review of the system and ending of benefit sanctions for disabled and vulnerable people were well received on the day and subsequently. Read More
June 7, 2018 Leave a Comment
The first book from the Welfare Conditionality project has now been published. Welfare Conditionality by project team members Dr Beth Watts and Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick charts the rise of behavioural conditionality in welfare systems across the globe, its appeal to politicians of right and left, and its application to a growing range of social problems. Crucially it explores why, in the context of widespread use of conditional approaches as well as apparently strong public support, both the efficacy and the ethics of welfare conditionality remain so controversial. As such, Welfare Conditionality is essential reading for students, researchers, and commentators in social and public policy, as well as those designing and implementing welfare policies.
The book will be officially launched at the evening drinks reception at the Welfare Conditionality: Principles, Practices and Perspectives conference on 26 June, 6.30pm, York Castle Museum. Entry to the reception is free to conference delegates – there is still time to book your place before the closing date on 11 June. Click here to book your place.
June 4, 2018 Leave a Comment
We are delighted to invite you to our next event to discuss the project’s final findings, on Wednesday 18 July.
This free event will provide a unique opportunity to debate the research findings, and how they can feed into the work and welfare agenda across Greater Manchester.
The event includes a research presentation from Professor Peter Dwyer (University of York), Dr Lisa Scullion and Dr Katy Jones (University of Salford), followed by a panel response including Matthew Ainsworth, Assistant Director – Employment (Policy, Strategy & Delivery), Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Catherine Connors, Skills and Work Board Manager, Salford City Council.
The event will be held on Wednesday 18 July, 1.00–4.00pm at the Old Fire Station, University of Salford, M5 4WT.
Places are limited so please register your attendance via this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/welfare-conditionality-sanctions-support-and-behaviour-change-final-findings-launch-tickets-46525243255
We look forward to seeing you at the event.
May 30, 2018 Leave a Comment
The first in a series of books based on our project research is out now. Welfare Conditionality by Beth Watts and Suzanne Fitzpatrick from Heriot-Watt University will have its official launch during our international conference in June.
Welfare conditionality has become an idea of global significance in recent years. A hot topic in North America, Australia, and across Europe, it has been linked to austerity politics, and the rise of foodbanks and destitution. In the Global South, where publicly funded welfare protection systems are often absent, conditional approaches have become a key tool employed by organisations pursuing human development goals. Read More
May 22, 2018 Leave a Comment
Welfare conditionality within the social security system is largely ineffective and in some cases pushes people into poverty and crime, our major study has found.
Welfare conditionality links eligibility for welfare benefits and services to responsibilities or particular patterns of behaviour, under threat of sanction for non-compliance. It has been a key element of welfare state reform in many countries since the mid-1990s.
Supporters say the use of sanctions and support is an effective way of weaning people off benefits and into paid work, or addressing anti-social behaviour. However, critics argue that behavioural conditionality is largely ineffective in promoting paid employment and personal responsibility, and is likely to exacerbate social exclusion among disadvantaged populations.
Our WelCond project, led by the University of York and involving the Universities of Glasgow, Sheffield, Salford, Sheffield Hallam and Heriot-Watt, analysed the effectiveness, impact and ethics of welfare conditionality from 2013-2018. The findings are based on repeat longitudinal interviews undertaken with 339 people in England and Scotland and drawn from nine policy areas, including Universal Credit, disabled people, migrants, lone parents, offenders and homeless people.
Key findings include:
The report quotes a homeless man who says he was forced into drug dealing due to welfare conditionality, while a disabled woman said she “sunk into depression” as a result of benefit sanctions.
The authors of the report say it is time for a “comprehensive review” of the use of welfare conditionality.
WelCond Director Professor Peter Dwyer, from the University of York’s Department of Social Policy and Social Work, said: “Our review reveals that in the majority of cases welfare conditionality doesn’t work as intended and we have evidence it has increased poverty and pushed some people into survival crime.
“What also became apparent was people were focusing on meeting the conditions of their benefit claim and that became their job – it is totally counter-productive.
“You are just making people do things to meet the conditions of the claim rather than getting them into work.”
“Successive governments have used welfare conditionality and the ‘carrot and stick ’ it implies to promote positive behaviour change.
“Our review has shown it is out of kilter, with the idea of sanctioning people to the fore. It is more stick, very little carrot and much of the support is ineffective.”
Other key recommendations include:
May 15, 2018 Leave a Comment
Jeanette Smith (not her real name) lives in the south of England. In this second of a two-part blog post she discusses how housing issues interact with other benefit conditions to create a ‘perfect storm’
In my last blog post I wrote about ESA and my fears of the consequences of a move to Universal Credit – including my rent payments. I have now been put in the ESA Support Group which gives me some respite and time to concentrate on my health. How long this will last before the cycle starts again I don’t know. I feel that I am at the mercy of a very impersonal and inhumane system that takes no account of the impact of its policies and procedures on the mental and physical health of individuals who are already at their lowest ebb and very vulnerable. Read More
May 4, 2018 Leave a Comment
We’ll be launching our final research findings this month. It’s the culmination of our five-year research into welfare conditionality, involving six universities and more than 600 respondents. Huge thanks to everyone who took part, it’s much appreciated.
The findings will be posted here on our website on Tuesday 22 May. We’re also holding events in London, Salford and Glasgow:
