Risky Business?

First published in 1991. MacDonald and Coffield look at the implementation and outcome of enterprise initiatives introduced in Teeside in relation to 100 unemployed young adults in the age-range 16-25, within a political ideology which has sought to change a dependency culture to one of self-reliance. The young people studied are categorized with reference to their attitude to, and experience of, work, and a number of case studies are cited. An important aspect of the study is that it is specifically concerned with ordinary young people. The conclusions are worked out in terms of the changing culture of work, government policies, the internationalization of labour markets and the changing fortunes of young adults in Britain in the 1990s.

MacDonald, Robert; Coffield, Frank

List of Tables and Figures, List of Abbreviations, Preface and Acknowledgments, Chapter 1. Introduction: Youth and Enterprise, Chapter 2. The Hunt for the Heffalump Resumed: the Rise of the Enterprise Movement, Chapter 3. The 'Infant Hercules' Comes of Age, Chapter 4. Cleveland's Enterprise Industry, Chapter 5. 'Becoming Your Own Boss', Chapter 6. Risky Business?, Chapter 7. Runners, Fallers and Plodders: Some Case Studies of Youth Enterprise, Chapter 8. Beyond Small Business: Alternative Forms of Enterprise, Chapter 9. Maggie's Army?, Chapter 10. A Culture of Enterprise or a Culture of Survival?, Appendix, Bibliography, Index