Workfare States

This book examines the political economy of workfare, the umbrella term for welfare-to-work initiatives that have been steadily gaining ground since candidate Bill Clinton's 1992 promise to "end welfare as we know it." Peck traces the development, diffusion, and implementation of workfare policies in the United States, and their export to Canada and the UK. He explores how reforms have been shaped by labor markets and political conditions, how gender and race come into play, and how local programs fit into the broader context of neoliberal economics and globalization. The book cogently demonstrates that workfare rarely involves large-scale job creation, but is more concerned with deterring welfare claims and necessitating the acceptance of low-paying, unstable jobs. Integrating labor market theory, critical policy analysis, and extensive field research, Peck exposes the limitations of workfarism and points toward more equitable alternatives.

Jamie Peck is Professor of Geography at the University of Wisconsin/n-/Madison, having previously worked for more than 10 years at the University of Manchester, England. He is the author of Work-Place: The Social Regulation of Labor Markets, and has published widely on issues relating to economic restructuring, employment policy, urban political economy, and theories of regulation and governance. Since the early 1980s, Jamie Peck has also been involved in policy research and advocacy in the areas of job-training strategies, local economic development, and measures to combat unemployment. His future plans include work on contingent labor and the restructuring of low-wage labor markets in U.S. cities.