Searching for best practice in welfare-to-work: The means, the method and the message

'Lessons from America' have played an important role in shaping the British government's approach to welfare-to-work. This article takes a critical lo ok at the recent US welfare-to-work experience, concentrating on a comparat ive evaluation of 'labour force attachment' approacher and 'human capital d evelopment' methods. The current popularity of the 'work first' strategy of labour force attachment in the US must be seen in the context of the dynam ism of the American labour market in recent years and a policy climate whic h has tended to favour 'quick fix' approaches, in contrast, the more broadl y formulated welfare-to-work strategy developed in the UK must deal with pr oblems of demand deficiency in many urban and regional labour markets. We c onclude that the distinctly European objectives of social inclusion will no r be well served by work first programming. In this field at least, seducti ve 'lessons from America' need to be interpreted with care.