ABSTRACT
The contemporary governance of youth unemployment in England involves actors from across the public, private and voluntary and community sectors operating at a range of scales. There is a burgeoning literature on the contemporary governance of welfare subjects within England which explores the shifting and targeted nature of governance practices and techniques with regard to anti-social behaviour, unemployment, social housing and homelessness. The new governance arrangements, increasing conditionality, the predominance of the concept of employability, and an inadequate conceptualisation of agency all contribute to an understanding of youth unemployment centred on the individual. Youth organisations are prominent across the lead partners. One of the distinctive elements of Big Lottery Fund's Talent Match is the focus on supporting young people with mental health issues, which has been identified as one of the most prominent barriers to work faced by marginalised youth.
