Given the growing public policy debate on welfare reform, especially with regard to tackling the 1 million plus young people who are Not in Education, Employment and Training (297,000 economically inactive and 257,000 unemployed young men),

Our Research Officer, Martha Lucas, has written this thought leadership policy paper on why reforms should be positioned from a positive perspective rather than a punitive  one.

“Purpose and agency: the progressive case for welfare reform”

That is, welfare reform for young men (as this is the focus of CPRMB) should be reformed around the human need for purpose in a way which encourages them into meaningful and suitable employment.

In her conclusion, she states: “Basic human purpose and dignity are at stake in this debate and are so frequently lost to economic analysis. On the basis of belonging, motivation and purpose, we need a welfare system that enables access to positive, ‘good’ work, for both men and women. For many men work is purpose and purpose is work. Any welfare reform should start and end with this goal in mind.”

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