In the teeth of the machine: workfare, immigration enforcement and the regulation of ‘surplus labour’

Burnett, Jon

Abstract

This article examines the development of a particular policy framework that is coming to fruition in the UK after decades of gestation. It examines how the administration of ‘workfare’ and the operation of immigration enforcement, while existing independently of each other, mutually reinforce each other. It explores how they operate at the sharp end of a labour market strategy seeking to appease the relentless demand for ‘flexible’, disposable workforces. In the process, it analyses how they are used to both produce and manage these labour forces.

Citation

Burnett, J. (2018). In the teeth of the machine: workfare, immigration enforcement and the regulation of ‘surplus labour’. Justice, power and resistance, 2(2), 287-313

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 1, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Aug 1, 2018
• Publication Date: Aug 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Apr 5, 2023
• Journal: Justice, Power and Resistance
• Publisher: Bristol University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 2
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 287-313
• Keywords: Workfare; Immigration Enforcement; Destitution; Unfree Labour; Hostile Environment
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4076110
• Publisher URL: https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journals/jpr/jpr-overview.xml?tab_body=about
• Related Public URLs: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa40536