Caught in the middle? Comparing disability payment restructuring and workfare in Denmark and Australia

This article engages in a dynamic cross-national comparison of neoliberal restructuring in Denmark and Australia in relation to tightened eligibility to disability related income payments and workfare policies which have compelled people with disability into the labour force. Both jurisdictions share characteristics in using work capacity, as assessed by administrative ‘expertise’, to limit eligibility for disability pensions, and divert people into the labour force. However, they differ in the relative generosity of conditions of income support, as well as heterogenous approaches to supporting the development of employment opportunities. We argue that these observed differences conform to Esping-Andersen’s classic understanding of the social democratic versus liberal welfare states. Import­antly, however, we note both jurisdictions share a common history of austerity in relation to their disability pension schemes, with many people with disability at risk of being ‘caught in the middle’ between lacking opportunities for employment participation and limited social protection.