Second article in the series I’m doing at False Economy on welfare reform and the failure of the American welfare-to-work programme (the workfare programme that Iain Duncan Smith is pursuing with such enthusiasm here). This second article looks at the sexism and racism that has informed US welfare reform. African-American Wisconsin benefit claimants on the workfare programme had their benefits sanctioned at several times the rate of white claimants. It’s a cruel and biased system.

Article by me at False Economy where I interview people from the US about the failure of welfare-to-work programmes to place people in real, long-term jobs, or even lift many above the poverty line. More to come about US welfare reform pushing people off benefits and into homelessness and deep poverty. Disgusting times.