Social citizenship and workfare in the US and Western Europe: from status to contract

Article abstract:

A major goal in workfare policies is to re-integrate the socially excluded into full citizenship. I examine the experience in the US and compare the current reforms in selected Western European countries. I argue that current policies of inclusion necessarily exclude. Workfare contemplates an individual 'contract' between the agency and the client. I concentrate on the implementation issues - the characteristics and constraints on the welfare worker-client relationship. While there are positive achievements, there is disturbing evidence that the most vulnerable are still being excluded. I suggest reforms for those who remain - separating benefits from services, re-designing incentives for service workers, and eliminating sanctions.