Social policy
Living Wages and the Welfare State
The Anglo-American Social Model in Transition
Addressing the rapidly shifting politics of the minimum wage in six English-speaking countries, Shaun Wilson analyses minimum wage policies within a political-economy narrative. Topical and poignant, this book identifies the success of living wage campaigns as central to both welfare state change and alternatives to the Basic Income.
The Struggle for Social Sustainability
Moral Conflicts in Global Social Policy
Leading interdisciplinary scholars focus on the ‘social’ of social policy. This ground-breaking volume tackles pressing ‘social questions’ and critically engages with contested conceptions of ‘the social’ which are increasingly deployed by international institutions and policy makers.
What Works in Improving Gender Equality
International Best Practice in Childcare and Long-term Care Policy
EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. This book provides an accessible analysis of what gender equality means and how we can achieve it by adapting best practices in childcare and long term care policies from other countries.
Welfare and Punishment
From Thatcherism to Austerity
From Margaret Thatcher’s first government to austerity politics, Ian Cummins traces changing attitudes to imprisonment and the social state. With fresh insights and critical thinking, he demonstrates how increasingly punitive approaches to crime and welfare have shaped the neoliberal economy and created stigma around those living in poverty.
Financial Inclusion
Critique and Alternatives
Rajiv Prabhakar brings together the typically exclusive views of supporters and critics to present a nuanced, critical analysis of ‘financial inclusion’. Addressing issues including the ‘poverty premium’, financial capability and housing, this dialogue advances crucial public, academic and policy debates and proposes alternative paths forward.
Civil Society and the Family
This enlightening book challenges conventional distinctions between the family and civil society as it uncovers how civic values and practices are inherited and fostered within the home.
Superdiversity, Policy and Governance in Europe
Multi-scalar Perspectives
First published as a special issue of Policy & Politics, this insightful volume brings together contributions from experts across Europe to explore the ways in which superdiversity has influenced the development of policy and to consider challenges for the future.
Critical Questions for Ageing Societies
This myth-busting and question-focused textbook tackles the important social and policy issues posed by ageing. A unique pedagogical approach recognises the gap between the lives of students and older people, and equips students with the conceptual, analytical and critical tools to understand what it means to grow old and live in an ageing society.
Public Sociology As Educational Practice
Challenges, Dialogues and Counter-Publics
Leading academics reflect on concepts and aspects of public sociology education in this perceptive collection of case studies, linked by critical dialogue between contributors. They consider publics, practices and special knowledges in the field, and go beyond academia’s boundaries to explore the purposes and targets of sociological knowledge.
Poverty in Education Across the UK
A Comparative Analysis of Policy and Place
The nuanced interconnections of poverty and educational attainment across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are explored in this unique analysis. Experts investigate how different educational structures and policies affect teachers’ engagement with marginalised groups and consider how inequalities might be reduced.
A Child’s Day
A Comprehensive Analysis of Change in Children’s Time Use in the UK
This rigorous review of four decades of data provides the clearest insights yet into the way children use their time. With analysis of changes in the time spent on family, education, culture and technology, as well as children’s own views on their habits, it presents a fascinating perspective on behaviour, wellbeing, social change and more.
Designing Parental Leave Policy
The Norway Model and the Changing Face of Fatherhood
This compelling book examines parental leave policies in Nordic countries, looking at how these laws encourage men towards life courses with greater care responsibilities. It considers the impact that these policies have had on gender equality and how they have led to a re-gendering of men by promoting ‘caring masculinities’.