ABSTRACT
Unemployment is one of the most intractable political, social and economic problems to have faced policy-makers, and reducing it is a complex and multifaceted process. This chapter examines the processes surrounding the formulation, implementation and evaluation of employment policies starting with the development of the Green Paper Restoring Full Employment and culminating in the 1994 White Paper Working Nation, the first White Paper on unemployment since Full Employment and Growth in 1945. As unemployment has risen over the last two decades, so too has expenditure on alleviating the problem and, hence, interest in evaluating the efforts of governments to reduce unemployment. Since the 1970s, unemployment rates in most Western economies have ‘ratcheted’ up during and following each economic downturn. A comprehensive approach to policy development often involves an extensive process to canvass areas of potential disagreement before possible solutions are selected.
