Are Spatially Focused Initiatives in Current Economic Inclusion Policies Well Founded?

Abstract

This study examines the appropriateness of the New Deal in targeting specific groups of unemployed job-seekers. This was achieved using a survey of unemployed job-seekers carried out prior to the implementation of the New Deal framework in April 1998. A sample of 169 unemployed job-seekers in two Travel to Work Areas in central Scotland is divided into those who were successful and those who were unsuccessful in finding employment and each group is analysed in terms of a set of labour market related attributes. The study generates a 'typical' profile for those who were successful in job search and a 'typical' profile for those who were less successful. These are compared and contrasted with the New Deal target groups. The findings support most of the target grouping basis of the policy but not all and we conclude that the generic aim of the New Deal, to reduce social exclusion, is unlikely to be achieved as effectively if spatial priorities, focused on the most deprived areas, are allowed to supersede the needs of the individual job-seeker.