Between extension and emasculation: The UK activation regime in the 21st century

This chapter explores the evolution of the UK activation regime since the turn of the millennium. It shows that reforms across the whole period have made the regime broader, by progressively extending the scope of benefit conditionality from the unemployed to more and more working-age claimants of social benefits. Since 2010, however, this has gone along with changes that have made it thinner, notably due to sharp cuts to the generosity of working-age benefits and to spending on ALMPs and the public employment service. This double movement of extension and emasculation has created an activation regime that is both unjust and inefficient. New investment is badly needed but will be constrained by the weakness of the UK economy.