Working for a living?: Employment, benefits and the living standards of disabled people

by Helen Barnes

For too long, disabled people in Britain have been denied access to employment. Now paid work is being presented as the only route out of poverty and dependence on the state. What is the reality? Working for a living? Does paid work bring disabled people the benefits they are led to expect, or does it have hidden disadvantages? Can disabled people who are not able to work expect to enjoy a good standard of living? The author compares the welfare states of Sweden, Germany and Britain on the basis of social policy provision for disabled people of working age, particularly in the area of income maintenance and employment policy, and uses survey data to analyse the living standards of disabled people both in and out of work. Working for a living? shows that both employment and welfare policies have a vital role to play in securing a good standard of living. The report brings together policy and outcomes in all three countries, and examines the implications for policy in Britain.

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000