Social Change and the Experience of Unemployment

The most important and disturbing change in the British labor market over the last two decades has been the re-emergence of mass unemployment. This study is a powerful and comprehensive investigation of the effects of being unemployed on individuals' attitudes towards work, their social relationships, and their psychological health. Breaking new ground in the study of unemployment, the editors use large-scale surveys that allow the first direct comparison between the unemployed and their working counterparts. Their survey takes into account a wide range of variables including the local labor market, the nature of household relations, and people's work and family histories. This in-depth examination of a key area of government policy is sure to be an important resource for policymakers and scholars well into the next century.