Contributive justice: Social class and graduate employment in the UK

MORRISON, Andrew (2019). Contributive justice: Social class and graduate employment in the UK. Journal of education and work.

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Abstract

This article applies Paul Gomberg's theory of contributive justice to the problematic of working-class graduates' access to skilled and meaningful work in the UK. I begin by outlining Gomberg's argument for the importance of quality work as a key social good. I then draw upon a range of sociologically-informed literature to offer a two-fold argument. Firstly, I contend that the UK suffers from a structural misalignment between graduate demand for high-skilled employment and the supply the labour market can provide; secondly, that working-class graduates are disproportionately likely to encounter problems in gaining quality work, at least in their early-stage careers. To understand these issues as questions of social justice, I apply Gomberg's thesis throughout the discussion. I conclude by reflecting upon the value of Gomberg's theory to studies such as this, which take a sociologically-informed approach to the interface between education and work. I argue that Gomberg’s neo-Aristotelian theory, wherein work is central to human flourishing, offers a framework through which we may make explicit our normally implicit evaluations and critiques.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1303 Specialist Studies in Education; 1607 Social Work; Education
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2019.1646414
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Elements
Depositing User:	Symplectic Elements
Date Deposited:	18 Jul 2019 13:59
Last Modified:	17 Mar 2021 16:00
URI:	https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/24889

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