New Labour Ambiguity, or Neo-liberal Consistency? The Debate About Racial Inequality in Employment and the Use of Contract Compliance

In 2003 the UK government set an objective that in ten years' time Britain's minority ethnic groups should not face disproportionate barriers in the labour market. A key 'barrier' is discrimination by employers. This article examines one potential way forward: the use of contract compliance. First, the article presents findings from the authors' study of an innovative use of contract compliance by a group of local authorities in the West Midlands. If contract compliance can be made to work and New Labour is committed to addressing racial inequality in employment, this suggests that contract compliance is an approach that the government should be seeking to develop. The second part of the article therefore considers New Labour's stance on contract compliance, which can be seen to be highly ambiguous. It is argued that if contract compliance is located within the broader context of New Labour policy development, what is apparent is that the professed aspiration for social change is compromised by a dominant commitment to the maintenance of neo-liberal economic policies. The conclusion is that it is likely that only limited progress will be made in achieving racial equality in employment

Ambiguity · Business · Compliance (psychology) · Consistency (knowledge bases) · Context (archaeology) · Economics · Employment contract · Ethnic group · Government (linguistics) · Inequality · Labour economics · Political science · Politics · Social contract · Work (physics) · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Employment and Welfare Studies · Labor Movements and Unions · Law · Social Psychology

• Exploring Neglected Dimensions of Social Policy

  Open Access•Michael Orton, Rhys Davies•Social Policy and Administration•2009

  Añadir item

• From social justice to social value

  Open Access•Tessa Wright, Hazel Conley et al.•Public Policy and Administration•2025

  Añadir item

• Welfare Rights and Social Policy

  Hartley Dean•Welfare Rights and Social Policy•2014

  Añadir item

• Business versus Families

  Open Access•Hartley Dean•Social Policy and Society•2002

  Añadir item

• Contract compliance

  Open Access•Ruth Fee•Journal of European Social Policy•2002

  Añadir item

• Contracting for Services-a Double Jeopardy? An Analysis of Contract Compliance in the Context of European and UK Social and Public Procurement Policy

  Open Access•Ruth Fee, Patricia Maxwell et al.•Public Policy and Administration•1998

  Añadir item

• New Labour

  Open Access•Ruth Lister•Critical Social Policy•2001

  Añadir item

• Minority Procurement

  Open Access•Sherri Leronda Wallace•The Review of Black Political…•1999

  Añadir item

• Public Procurement Directives in the European Union

  Open Access•Stephen Martin, Keith Hartley et al.•Public Administration•1999

  Añadir item

• New Labour’s White Heart

  Open Access•L Back, M Keith et al.•The Political Quarterly•2002

  Añadir item

• Race-Based Affirmative Action

  Jacquelyne Johnson Jackson•The Black Scholar•1995

  Añadir item

• What works and for whom? The competing rationalities of ‘Best Value

  Steve Martins, Howard Davis•Policy & Politics•2001

  Añadir item

• Towards a Global Regime on Contract Compliance

  Andrew Erridge, Ruth Fee•Policy & Politics•1999

  Añadir item

• Issues of fairness in recruitment processes

  Lynette Harris•Local Government Studies•2000

  Añadir item

• Lean Supply

  Open Access•Andrew Erridge, John Murray et al.•Public Policy and Administration•1998

  Añadir item

• Public Procurement and Supply Management Strategies

  Open Access•Andrew Erridge, John Mcilroy•Public Policy and Administration•2002

  Añadir item

• Dissolving the Public Realm? The Logics and Limits of Neo-liberalism

  Open Access•John Clarke•Journal of Social Policy•2004

  Añadir item

• Progressing the Equality Agenda in Northern Ireland

  Open Access•R D Osborne•Journal of Social Policy•2003

  Añadir item

• The Scarman Report, the Macpherson Report and the Media

  Open Access•Sarah Neal•Journal of Social Policy•2003

  Añadir item