Welfare Reform on the Web (September 2004): Social Security - UK - New Deal

COMPULSORY WORK-FOCUSED INTERVIEWS FOR INACTIVE BENEFIT CLAIMANTS: AN EVALUATION OF THE BRITISH ONE PILOTS

S. Kirby and R. Riley

Labour Economics, vol.11, 2004, p.415-429

The authors consider whether compulsory work-focused interviews (CWFIs) are effective in encouraging lone mothers and sick or disabled benefit claimants to become active in the labour market. Members of these groups living in areas where a CWFI was a condition of benefit receipt were compared with those in control areas. Results showed that the scheme had little effect in reducing benefit dependency. There a several possible reasons for this, including mismanagement of the scheme, and the unique barriers lone mothers and the long term sick or disabled face when looking for work.