Human dignity and welfare systems
Chak Kwan Chan
Abstract
Pro-‘workfare’ governments justify their policies by claiming ‘workfare’ helps enhance self-esteem and promote the dignity of unemployed recipients. On the other hand, welfare activists argue that ‘workfare’ suppresses the dignity of unemployed persons. This book examines the concept of human dignity in this context and attempts to clarify its meaning. It formulates a framework for evaluating the dignity of welfare recipients; uses this framework to explore the dignity of unemployed persons in four different welfare systems: UK, Sweden, China and Hong Kong; compares the conditions of human dig ... More
Pro-‘workfare’ governments justify their policies by claiming ‘workfare’ helps enhance self-esteem and promote the dignity of unemployed recipients. On the other hand, welfare activists argue that ‘workfare’ suppresses the dignity of unemployed persons. This book examines the concept of human dignity in this context and attempts to clarify its meaning. It formulates a framework for evaluating the dignity of welfare recipients; uses this framework to explore the dignity of unemployed persons in four different welfare systems: UK, Sweden, China and Hong Kong; compares the conditions of human dignity in each case; and identifies factors which enhance or suppress it.
Keywords:
workfare,
dignity,
unemployment,
United Kingdom,
Sweden,
China,
Hong Kong
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2005 |
Print ISBN-13: 9781861344311 |
| Published to Policy Press Scholarship Online: March 2012 |
DOI:10.1332/policypress/9781861344311.001.0001 |
