
The Dangerous Metaphor of Unemployment “Scarring”
The concept of “scarring” in unemployment policy is a misleading metaphor with significant, negative consequences for individuals.
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Dr Tom Boland is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at University College Cork. He researches critique, culture, unemployment, welfare, and governmentality.

The concept of “scarring” in unemployment policy is a misleading metaphor with significant, negative consequences for individuals.

The notion that active-labour-market policies are the solution to unemployment has long been an act of faith. That’s the problem.