Youth, the 'Underclass' and Social Exclusion

Anti-work, anti-social, and welfare dependent cultures are said to typify the new "dangerous class" and "dangerous youth" and are taken as the prime subjects of underclass theories. Debates about the family and single-parenthood, about crime and about unemployment and welfare reforms have all become embroiled in underclass theories which, while highly controversial, have had remarkable influence on the politics and policies of governments in Britain and the US.Youth, the "Underclass" and Social Exclusiongrapples with the underclass idea in relation to contemporary youth. The authors discuss how issues of unemployment, training, the labor market, crime, homelessness, and parenting build an idea of an underclass, as well as the political and social ramifications of such a theory.