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The Why Work? Syndrome
Author(s) -
Mansfield Malcolm
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
social policy and administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.972
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1467-9515
pISSN - 0144-5596
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9515.1988.tb00306.x
Subject(s) - subsistence agriculture , capitalism , discipline , work (physics) , welfare , economics , labour economics , sociology , market economy , political science , social science , law , agriculture , engineering , mechanical engineering , ecology , politics , biology
This article is an examination of the relationship between the level of welfare benefits and the motivation to work in modern capitalism. The idea that capitalism cannot produce the industrial discipline it requires given welfare benefits above “subsistence” is shown to be untrue. Non‐pecuniary inducements to work centred on the Job Centre can replace low‐level benefits but only under strictly‐defined conditions. The article goes on to examine what happens when Job Centres do not fulfil their disciplinary role.