Unsettling Welfare addresses the changing relationship between social welfare, its 'recipients' and the state. In particular, the book explores the direction and the impact of the reforms of the welfare state that took place during the 1980s and 1990s. By focusing on specific fields of social welfare and social control, including health, education, housing, income maintenance, social services and criminal justice, Unsettling Welfare identifies general trends and the ways in which these are manifested.
Demonstrating the relevance of theory to political and policy debates and practice, this lively and accessible second edition helps students to grasp the real-life implications of social policy theory. The updated text includes consideration of contemporary shifts in welfare ideologies in the context of global austerity and the UK Coalition and Conservative governments since 2010. With a new chapter focusing on critical debates about disability, sexuality and the environment, this textbook also includes fresh reflections on migration, conditionality, resilience, social justice and human rights. Key features include: • real-life examples from UK and international politics and policy to explain and illuminate the significance of social policy theory; • key questions for student reflection and engagement; and • bulleted chapter summaries and annotated further readings at the end of every chapter. This new edition is a dynamic, engaging and valuable introduction to the key theoretical perspectives and concepts deployed in social policy.
How can criminological, sociological and historical perspectives illuminate the elusive concept of crime prevention? Are we witnessing a new governance of crime control? What are the futures of crime prevention in late modernity? This book offers a comprehensive overview of current and historical debates about crime prevention in particular and social control more generally. It moves beyond the traditional boundaries of criminology and offers an original re-framing of the field of crime prevention based on a synthesis of exciting new thinking in social theory. In particular, recent theorising around late modernity, risk society, communitarianism and globalization are put forward as important ways of linking trends in crime prevention to wider social transformations. This innovative text looks at the contested history of crime prevention in the modern era and considers present and future trends in social control in late modernity. Hughes focuses on the question of the "managerialization" of crime prevention in recent decades, the extent to which crime control may become dominated by privatized security and insurance against risks, and the attractions and pitfalls of informal community-based approaches. Understanding Crime Prevention will be essential reading for students and researchers in the field as well as many professional and lay people interested in crime prevention and community safety.
Rethinking Social Policy is a comprehensive introduction to, and analysis of, the complex mixture of problems and possibilities within the study of social policy. Contributors at the cutting edge of social policy analysis reflect upon the implications of new social and theoretical movements for welfare and the study of social policy. Topics covered include: criminology and crime control; race, class and gender; poverty and sexuality; the body and the emotions; violence; work and welfare in Europe. Examples are drawn from a variety of welfare sectors such as: social services and community care, health, education, employment, and criminal justice. This is a course reader for The Open University course (D860) R
Health and Exclusion is a pioneering examination of those policies and practices of exclusion currently experienced by health 'customers' in the UK. Chapters document examples of exclusion in a number of controversial areas, including: *the impact of poverty on the health of children *exclusion in maternity care *exclusion of those with mental health problems *exclusion of the elderly in health care *the silenced voice of the patient *barriers to recruitment and advancement within the health professions. The authors challenge whether New Labour policies sufficiently address the inequalities in health experienced by some sectors of society. Moreover they suggest that health professionals at times actively contribute to exclusion and suggest strategies and practices to combat marginalisation and resist exclusion.
Interpretive political science focuses on the meanings that shape actions and institutions, and the ways in which they do so. This Handbook explores the implications of interpretive theory for the study of politics. It provides the first definitive survey of the field edited by two of its pioneers. Written by leading scholars from a range of disciplinary backgrounds, the Handbook’s 32 chapters are split into five parts which explore: the contrast between interpretive theory and mainstream political science; the main forms of interpretive theory and the theoretical concepts associated with interpretive political science; the methods used by interpretive political scientists; the insights provided by interpretive political science on empirical topics; the implications of interpretive political science for professional practices such as policy analysis, planning, accountancy, and public health. With an emphasis on the applications of interpretive political science to a range of topics and disciplines, this Handbook is an invaluable resource for students, scholars, and practitioners in the areas of international relations, comparative politics, political sociology, political psychology, and public administration.
Taking as its focus three familiar and profoundly influential social institutions, the family, work and welfare, this accessible and exciting text looks at their role in maintaining social order and promoting social change in Britain from the 1950's to the beginning of the twenty first century. It shows how everyday life within these institutions is marked by the exercise of power and resistance and it charts the ways in which wider social change has affected these processes. Ordering Lives: Family, Work and Welfare engages with some of the most pressing issues affecting our society in a lively yet academically rigorous manner. At the same time, it offers students of the social sciences a crucial first introduction to the way that theory is used in social science explanations of social relations and institutional arrangements. This is a key introductory text for all students beginning study in sociology, social policy or general social sciences. Does it any longer make sense to talk about a "welfare state" in today's UK?
Taking account of the political, economic and cultural changes that have impacted on social work over recent years, this book explores the challenges and presents the realities of practice. Using an international range of examples, McDonald makes an important contribution to the ongoing debate about the character and purpose of social work.
The Third Edition of this widely adopted textbook has been thoroughly revised and offers an authoritative and up-to-date coverage of the key theories, concepts and issues in social policy. The lively and readable text has been designed to provide students with the essential tools to gain a clear understanding of the theoretical debates surrounding the discipline. The book is organized into three parts: • Part One offers a detailed but accessible critique of major theoretical approaches such as neo-liberalism, Marxism, feminism and racism; • Part Two explores conceptual debates such as distributive justice and postmodernism; • PArt Three engages with contemporary social policy issues such as children, pensions and the role of New Labour. It also features newly commissioned chapters to reflect recent developments and current debates within social policy. New areas of consideration include: • Citizenship • Post-structuralism • The politics of food • Globalization Student exercises and reading lists feature throughout the text and practical examples are skilfully used to illustrate conceptual and theoretical material, making it the ideal core textbook for undergraduate social policy students, as well as those studying related welfare modules across the social sciences.
This book offers an innovative account of social-control and behaviorist thinking in social policies and welfare systems and the impact it has had on disadvantaged groups. The contributors review how controls have been applied to individuals and households and how these interventions have narrowed social rights. They illuminate the links between social control developments, welfare systems, and the liberalization of economics, and they highlight the negative impact that behaviorist assumptions--and the subsequent strategies that have grown out of them--have had on the disadvantaged. Overall the volume provides a cutting-edge critical engagement with contemporary policy developments.
