New Deal for Young People

Towards an Ethical Employment Policy

Bibliographic Data

ID11193980
AuthorsMichael White (0000-0001-7508-7882, corresponding author)
Year2000
Volume21
Issue4
Pages285-299
Publication date2000-12-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolicy Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0144-2872 • E-ISSN: 1470-1006
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/713691375
OpenAlexW2061728093
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited9

With the current focus on judging policy by its economic efficiency, the ethical basis of employment policy is suffering neglect. The article attempts to redress the balance by analysing the ethical claims of Labour's most important innovation in employment policy, New Deal for Young People. Three criteria for an ethical policy are proposed: that it is rights based; that it prioritizes increased well-being for disadvantaged individuals or groups; and that some cost trade-off is accepted as part of the policy. These criteria distinguish an ethically-based policy from a wholly instrumental efficiency-based policy. Analysis of its elements indicates that New Deal for Young People could be developed as a model for ethically-based employment policy. The implications of further developing such a model in the long term are considered. It is concluded that a crucial task for ethical employment policy will be to develop an institutionalized 'intermediate employment' sector without creating unsupportable economic costs

Disadvantaged · Economic growth · Economics · Engineering ethics · Ethical issues · Law and economics · Management · Neglect · Political science · Public economics · Redress · Task (project management · Unintended consequences · Labor Movements and Unions · Law · Psychology