Social Change and the Experience of Unemployment (The Social Change and Economic Life Initiative) - Softcover

`essential reading for all those concerned about the experience of unemployment in contemporary Britain'Work, Employment and Society

`The book is tightly organised, and the contributions of high quality ... the volume provides us with a systematic testing of previously tentative findings about the nature and experience of unemployment.'Social Policy

`the papers shed considerable light on the effects of unemployment, providing much more firmly based evidence and sophisticated analysis than available hitherto in the sociological literature'Work, Employment and Society'

`This is an important publication which should be read by all those involved in economic development, those interested in economic restructuring and by researchers anticipating research into unemployment.'Local Government Studies

`A long overdue exploration of unemployment ... excellently executed.'Stephen McGarry, University of Plymouth

A long overdue exploration of unemployment ... excellently executed. (Stephen McGarry, University of Plymouth)

This volume is an important contribution to a better understanding of the social consequences of unemployment ... a must for all social scientists interested in unemployment and its consequences for individuals, households and society. (Acta Sociologica)

This book addresses a number of important questions, and ... many of the answers ... are adequately established. (European Sociological Review)

An extremely valuable and important piece of empirical research. In themselves, the papers that make up these volumes are excellent. (Sociology)

What is particularly valuable about this volume is the emphasis that it gives to the experience of unemployment, particularly in terms of its psychological and interpersonal dimensions ... hypotheses - as located within various academic debates - are tested by the skilful analysis of empirical data. (Sociology)

The single most important change in the British labour market over the last two decades has been the re-emergence of mass unemployment. This study focuses on six areas: Aberdeen, Kirkcaldy, Rochdale, Coventry, Northampton, and Swindon, and investigates the effect of being unemployed on individuals' attitudes to work, their social relationships, and their psychological health. It breaks entirely new ground, using large-scale surveys that allow direct comparison with people in employment and taking into account a wide range of variables. It will become a standard work of reference on the subject.

Contributors: Brendan Burchell, Richard Davies, Peter Elias, Jonathan Gershuny, Richard Lampard, Roger Penn, Duncan Gallie, Catherine Marsh, Carolyn Vogler