Disability and the State Production of Precarity

Materialist theories of disability link disability and labor, hypothesizing that under neoliberalism, disability stigma contributes to labor market precarity. These claims have not been evaluated empirically and the mediating role of the state remains underspecified. Ethnographic fieldwork in a job...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Work and occupations 2024-11, Vol.51 (4), p.510-549
Main Author: Ruppel, Emily H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Disability
Earnings
Job training
Labor force
Labor market
Mental disorders
Neoliberalism
People with disabilities
State role
Stigma
Welfare state
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Summary:Materialist theories of disability link disability and labor, hypothesizing that under neoliberalism, disability stigma contributes to labor market precarity. These claims have not been evaluated empirically and the mediating role of the state remains underspecified. Ethnographic fieldwork in a job training program for people with psychiatric disabilities reveals two contradictions in the welfare state treatment of disability. First, disability benefits are set at low levels, yet means-testing limits earnings, channeling people with disabilities into low-wage jobs. Second, contradictory imperatives attached to state funding incentivize placement in temporary jobs. These welfare state contradictions produce disabled workers as a precarious labor force.
ISSN:0730-8884
1552-8464
DOI:10.1177/07308884231207773