Fear of the Brown Envelope: Exploring Welfare Reform with Long-Term Sickness Benefits Recipients

Garthwaite, K.

doi:10.1111/spol.12049

Fear of the Brown Envelope: Exploring Welfare Reform with Long-Term Sickness Benefits Recipients

Garthwaite, K.

Authors

K. Garthwaite

Abstract

This article presents qualitative data taken from in-depth interviews with 25 long-term sickness benefits recipients in the north east of England, UK. A key theme emerging from the research is the importance of listening to the narratives of long-term sick and disabled benefits recipients, particularly in relation to the formation of policy responses and in terms of practice. The findings also illustrate how stigma associated with claiming benefits can deter people from accessing the support they need, leading to under-claiming and the risk of amplified financial strain and hardship. Further, the importance of evidence that emerges from research which focuses upon the lived experiences of sickness benefits recipients to provide evidence in the framing of disability and welfare policy is crucial. Lastly, the article discusses how the narratives presented have implications for social policy and practice, alongside the potential implications for sick and disabled people themselves.

Citation

Garthwaite, K. (2014). Fear of the Brown Envelope: Exploring Welfare Reform with Long-Term Sickness Benefits Recipients. Social Policy and Administration, 48(7), 782-798. https://doi.org/10.1111/spol.12049

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Dec 1, 2014
Deposit Date	Oct 29, 2013
Publicly Available Date	Oct 16, 2014
Journal	Social Policy and Administration
Print ISSN	0144-5596
Electronic ISSN	1467-9515
Publisher	Wiley
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	48
Issue	7
Pages	782-798
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1111/spol.12049
Keywords	Welfare reform, Sickness benefits, Narrative, Disability, Discourse, Language.

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Copyright Statement
This is the accepted version of the following article: Garthwaite, K. (2014), Fear of the Brown Envelope: Exploring Welfare Reform with Long-Term Sickness Benefits Recipients. Social Policy and Administration, 48 (7): 782-798, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/spol.12049. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.