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Moving beyond skills as a social and economic panacea

Author

Listed:
  • Ewart Keep

    (ESRC Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance, Cardiff University, KeepEJ@Cardiff.ac.uk)

  • Ken Mayhew

    (ESRC Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance, Department of Education, Oxford University; ken.mayhew@pmb.ox.ac.uk)

Abstract

This article examines two inter-related issues. First, the tendency for UK skills policies to act as a substitute for other social and economic measures. Second, the problem of current conceptualisations of skills policy creating narrowly-drawn, technicist interventions that are frequently incommensurate with the scale of the problems which they purpor t to tackle. The ar ticle suggests that current policy formation processes, particularly in England, are being deployed in a manner that seeks to close off consideration of other potential avenues by which contemporary social and economic problems might be addressed. The case is made for a wider framing of both policy possibilities and avenues for relevant research to support such policy development.

Suggested Citation

  • Ewart Keep & Ken Mayhew, 2010. "Moving beyond skills as a social and economic panacea," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 24(3), pages 565-577, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:24:y:2010:i:3:p:565-577
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017010371663
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Francis Green & Yu Zhu, 2010. "Overqualification, job dissatisfaction, and increasing dispersion in the returns to graduate education," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 62(4), pages 740-763, October.
    2. Ewart Keep & Ken Mayhew & Jonathan Payne, 2006. "From Skills Revolution to Productivity Miracle--Not as easy as it Sounds?," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 22(4), pages 539-559, Winter.
    3. Charley Greenwood & Andrew Jenkins & Anna Vignoles, 2007. "The Returns to Qualifications in England: Updating the Evidence Base on Level 2 and Level 3 Vocational Qualifications," CEE Discussion Papers 0089, Centre for the Economics of Education, LSE.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Richard Crisp & Ryan Powell, 2017. "Young people and UK labour market policy: A critique of ‘employability’ as a tool for understanding youth unemployment," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(8), pages 1784-1807, June.
    2. Tony Dobbins & Alexandra Plows & Huw Lloyd-Williams, 2012. "Labour precariousness and make do and mend after redundancy at Anglesey Aluminium: critiquing Human Capital Theory," Working Papers 12007, Bangor Business School, Prifysgol Bangor University (Cymru / Wales).
    3. Kristoffer Chelsom Vogt, 2016. "The post-industrial society: from utopia to ideology," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 30(2), pages 366-376, April.
    4. Jim Stewart & Sally Sambrook, 2012. "The Historical Development of Human Resource Development in the United Kingdom," Working Papers 12013, Bangor Business School, Prifysgol Bangor University (Cymru / Wales).
    5. Tony Dobbins & Alexandra Plows, 2014. "Regional Economic Transition in Wales: The Role of Labour Market Intermediaries," Working Papers 14005, Bangor Business School, Prifysgol Bangor University (Cymru / Wales).
    6. Anand, Paul, 2020. "Economic Policies for COVID-19," IZA Policy Papers 156, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Solé, Meritxell & Souto, Guadalupe & Renteria, Elisenda & Papadomichelakis, Giorgos & Patxot, Concepció, 2020. "Protecting the elderly and children in times of crisis: An analysis based on National Transfer Accounts," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 15(C).
    8. Francis Green & Alan Felstead & Duncan Gallie & Hande Inanc & Nick Jewson, 2016. "The Declining Volume of Workers’ Training in Britain," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 54(2), pages 422-448, June.

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    Keywords

    jobs; skills; social equality;
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