An inter-disciplinary journal special edition has called for significant changes to UK policy on health and labour inequalities. Dr Colin Lindsay of the Department of Human Resource Management is lead co-editor of a newly published special edition of 'Social Policy & Administration' journal on 'New perspectives on health, disability, welfare and the labour market'. The special edition brings together eight author teams from a range of disciplines and universities to provide new insights on why people are excluded from work due to ill-health and disability, and to suggest new priorities for policy.
The inter-disciplinary editorial team brought together experts in economics, public policy, sociology, human geography and clinical psychology. The new research provides insights into how labour market inequalities limit the opportunities for people with health problems to maintain work, while also offering new evidence on the impact of different health conditions and potential value of psychological interventions.
For Colin Lindsay, the inter-disciplinary nature of the research has given rise to important lessons for policy makers. Dr Lindsay said, 'Much of the recent welfare reform agenda of successive UK Governments has focused on restricting access to benefits as a means of promoting 'welfare to work'. Our joint-publication points to the need for a more sophisticated range of policies.
"Our colleagues have demonstrated that the number and quality of jobs available in local labour markets define opportunities to work, while insights from health and psychology researchers point to the importance of NHS services to help people of working age manage conditions in the workplace. We hope that the findings will be of interest to policy makers and public agencies, as well as informing future inter-disciplinary studies in this field."
'New perspectives on health, disability, welfare and the labour market' is published as volume 49, edition 2 of "Social Policy & Administration" (March 2015). SBS staff can access the publication online here.