Economic crisis and unemployment in nineteenth century literature ALAIN ALCOuffE

It would be vain to look for the origin of the word or the idea of “involuntary unemployment,” which has its roots in the treatment of poverty. It is very plausible that it was always common knowledge that, among poor people, some were able and willing to work. The Poor Law system classified people into categories: those considered deserving and those who were not considered deserving of poor relief. Four categories were distinguished:

• the impotent poor; • the able-bodied poor-with an able body but were unwilling to work; • the idle poor; • vagrants or beggars, sometimes termed “sturdy rogues.”