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What is the problem, exactly? The distribution of Incapacity Benefit claimants' conditions across British regions
- Author:
- ANYADIKE-DANES Michael
- Journal article citation:
- Policy Studies, 31(2), March 2010, pp.187-202.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Whilst there are notable differences in the spatial distribution of those claiming Incapacity Benefit (IB) in Great Britain, where the percentage of claimants to population is two to three times higher in the North than it is in the South, there are also marked regional differences in the relative importance of the medical conditions from which IB claimants suffer. For example, about one third of males in the South are unable to work due to mental and behavioural disorders, but the proportion in the North is under a quarter. The converse is true of diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue. As the roll-out of Pathways to Work gathers pace with its offer of a condition management programme to claimants, and the new regime for those unable to work due to sickness is introduced, those charged with planning and managing the re-activation of benefit claimants need to have a more spatially informed understanding of the dimensions of the problem they are to address. This paper seeks to address this information gap by examining the regional distribution of conditions and its connection to the regional distribution of claimant numbers, as applicable for both men and women.