Globalization, social exclusion and Labour's new work ethic

This article argues that work is central to Labour's social policy, and that understanding the government's attitudes towards work is a prerequisite of understanding much else that it does. The centrality of work in Labour's social policy is itself explicable in terms of two ideas which have been embraced by New Labour—social exclusion and globalization. The article examines these two key ideas and their logic, and some of their policy implications in two main areas—tax and benefit reform and education. Finally, it argues that these two policy areas also need to be linked to a third in order to fully understand their aims and outcomes— that of the promotion of flexible labour markets. Together, these policies form a strategy aimed at increasing labour market efficiency within the context of international economic competition.