Victoria University student Alicia Sudden has surveyed and interviewed hundreds of people for her Masters Degree research to find out what happens in their lives when they leave welfare benefits. NZCCSS and others have noted that government is not monitoring what happens to people who are no longer on receiving welfare – is exiting the benefit a move to a better life? For many of those surveyed the answer was ‘No’.

Research by Development Studies student Alicia Sudden explored the experiences of people who have come off a benefit, either temporarily or permanently, since changes to the welfare system in July 2013. She has shared a summary of the research with us. . This is not the full thesis and should not be quoted without the author’s permission. [wpfilebase tag=file id=6488 /]

Max Rashbrooke has also provided some comment on this work labeling the current approach to welfare a failure because for most people this does not lead to full-time work and for many work does not improve their wellbeing.