This book deals with the historical relationship between international trade liberalisation - one of the backbones of globalisation - and the development of social welfare. In Europe the issue has regularly been at the centre of the political debate for at least two centuries, and still nowadays it continues to inspire decisions of the highest order, as in the recent case of Brexit. Analysing a number of particularly meaningful episodes and moments, the eight chapters of this edited volume provide an overview of how the liberalisation/welfare nexus has been addressed in Europe since the end of the 19th century. Describing the oscillations from phases in which state, non-state and transnational actors saw the two elements as widely conflicting, to others in which more harmonious visions prevailed, the book uncovers the political complexity of the issue and contributes to clarifying its connections with the current economic situation, political balances and general social conditions.

This book studies caste and community dynamics in India and offers a critical view of social mobility from below. Building on the theories of the eminent sociologist M N Srinivas, the essays in this volume reformulate the debate on caste as they document the changing inter-caste dynamics and caste-based violence in contemporary India. The volume showcases the new language of change in caste relations, articulated mostly from the perspective of the marginalised as experiences, differences, contestations, assertions and as citizenship rights. It focusses on the clash between traditional structures of inequality and the ideals of equality and justice in a liberal, democratic India. It also highlights the persistence of caste and endogamy and the interlocking nature of caste, gender and disability, struggles of ethnic groups and informal workers in the market economy, discrimination in the labour market and the dissolution of dissent in the public sphere. With contributions from leading scholars of social change and development in India and abroad, this volume will be useful for scholars and researchers of sociology, social anthropology, minority and subaltern studies, and development studies.

In this thought-provoking book, Paul Spicker challenges readers to rethink social security benefits in Britain. Putting a case for reform of the system, Spicker argues that most of the criticisms made of social security benefits - that spending is out of control, that it has led to mushrooming dependency, that it fails to get people into work, and that the system is riddled with fraud - are misconceived. Addressing those misconceptions, Spicker assesses the real problems with the system, related to its size, its complexity, the expectation that benefits agencies should know everything, and the determination to 'personalise' benefits for millions of people. This stimulating short book is a valuable introduction to social security in Britain and the potential for its reform. For more from the author on social security and social policy visit blog.spicker.uk.

This is the concise, accessible guide for students and practitioners who want a comprehensive introduction to health and social care. Engaging practical features, such as user-focused case studies and reflective exercises, promote understanding of theoretical and conceptual knowledge. In turn, clear explanations of social policy theory help frame the policy and practice dilemmas faced by students, front-line workers and policy makers. Chapters cover partnership working and integrated care, independent living, disability and long-term conditions, discrimination, user involvement and support for carers. This new edition has been updated to cover key developments under the Coalition and beyond, including the 2012 Health Act, the 2014 Care Act, the Francis inquiry, the Winterbourne View abuse scandal, the integrated care agenda and the impact of austerity.

In this distinctive introduction Stephen Sinclair illuminates the subject of Social Policy by showing readers how Social Policy analysts think about welfare issues and policies. From what influences the decision to have children to how everyday terms such as 'youth crime' or 'poverty' reveal the structural processes shaping society, the book illustrates the insights which Social Policy analysis offers to understanding the social world and its problems. Written by an academic with extensive experience of teaching Social Policy analysis to new audiences, the book provides a stimulating introduction to the study of the factors and polices shaping wellbeing. Each chapter includes boxed summaries, applied examples illustrating key issues, and bullet points clarifying key concepts and theories.

The last decade has seen a growing focus on producing evidence-based policy and practice in governments around the world - with a specific focus on causal evidence of the impacts of a particular policy on outcomes for citizens. The UK is a key example of this, with the establishment of 14 What Works Centres which collate, create and translate evidence in different policy and practice domains. In this book, leaders, researchers and practitioners from these institutions share insights to help understand what has worked so far in the Centres, and what could be done better in future. It offers guidance to policy makers and funders looking to establish new centres, and for academics looking to create similar institutions that can have a practical impact on the improvement of the world around us.

By most accounts, Europe has been mired in a "demographic crisis" since about 1970. By a demographic crisis is meant that Europe's dependency ratio is increasing, and the net result has been declining populations and fewer workers to sustain society. However, there are certain issues that need attention. Two topics seem to capture some of these issues: The implications of the possible crisis, and the crisis' assessment. The present volume is organized around both topics (implications and assessment). There are at least three contributions being made by the proposed volume. To begin with, while there are other issues related to the demographic crisis in Europe the present volume should motivate additional research. Secondly, the research in the proposed volume does not necessarily assume that there is a demographic crisis in Europe nor that it is consistent across national lines. Thus, each chapter, in essence, examines a different issue associated with the proposal that there is a crisis. Finally, the present volume makes several methodological contributions. For example, the chapter by David Swanson uses non-Bayesian modeling in studying infant mortality. Richard Verdugo examines the dependency ratio and selected factors on economic growth in selected European nations, Kposowa and Ezzat conduct an assessment, Martins examines variation in the path toward a crisis, Johnson examines humanitarian migration and the crisis, Edmonston examines the association between geopolitics and the crisis.

1. Drawing on Elaine Heumann Gurian's 50 years of experience in the museum field, this book identifies many small, subtle ways museums can become more welcoming to more - and to all. 2. The book will be an excellent companion volume to the author's 2005 title, Civilizing the Museum, and, as such, will be essential reading for anyone who enjoyed that earlier title. It will be especially interesting to academics and students engaged in the study of museums, as well as practitioners working around the world. 3. There are very few books that give a sense of what it is like to work in museums and to address the complex issues of ethical obligations and social responsibilities, while at the same time managing staff and stakeholders. There are no competing titles by anyone with Elaine's range and depth of experience.

1. Drawing on Elaine Heumann Gurian's 50 years of experience in the museum field, this book identifies many small, subtle ways museums can become more welcoming to more - and to all. 2. The book will be an excellent companion volume to the author's 2005 title, Civilizing the Museum, and, as such, will be essential reading for anyone who enjoyed that earlier title. It will be especially interesting to academics and students engaged in the study of museums, as well as practitioners working around the world. 3. There are very few books that give a sense of what it is like to work in museums and to address the complex issues of ethical obligations and social responsibilities, while at the same time managing staff and stakeholders. There are no competing titles by anyone with Elaine's range and depth of experience.

As the system of governance and delivery of social welfare in the UK radically changes, this important new book argues that the extent of this change is such that it could be considered a fundamental transformation or even a revolution. It shows how a new public governance perspective has replaced the dominance of new public management, reflecting the increasingly plural and fragmented nature of public policy implementation. Drawing on examples across a range of policy areas it assesses how changes in social policy and governance interact in the delivery of the main areas of social policy and social welfare. The book will be essential reading for researches, students and policy makers.

Shifts to independent delivery of health and social care services have led to increased numbers of micro-enterprises. Could these tiny organisations with just 5 or fewer employees be the best way of delivering cost-effective health and social care services in the context of decreased budgets and increased demands? What size is 'just right' for a care provider? This book explores size as an independent variable in care services, comparing outcomes and value for money across micro, small, medium and large organisations. Using interviews and surveys with 108 people using services and carers in 27 case-study organisations it focuses on the contribution micro-enterprises can make to the care sector.

This substantially revised edition of a highly topical text draws upon theory from Marx and Bourdieu to offer a clearer understanding of community in capitalist society. The book takes a more critical look at the literature on community, community development and the politics of community, and applies this critical approach to themes introduced in the first edition on economic development, learning, health and social care, housing, and policing, taking into account the changes in policy that have taken place, particularly in the UK, since the first edition was written. It will be a valuable resource for researchers and students of social policy, sociology and politics as well as areas of housing and urban studies.

Over the last decade there has been a series of Government policy initiatives in respect of children’s services and social work education in England, many of which aim to de-regulate or privatise aspects of these services. Critically considering the impact of the MacAlister Review, this book explores the past, present and future of children’s services in the UK from a range of perspectives – lived, professional and academic. This accessible guide provides a timely and incisive overview of the current children’s services reform agenda in the UK. It identifies current challenges, analyses both strengths and weaknesses in the current policy agenda and sets out alternative policy and practice directions for a system that can meet families’ needs.

Population ageing and globalisation represent two of the most radical social transformations that have occurred. This book provides, for the first time, an accessible overview of how they interact. Ageing has been conventionally framed within the boundaries of nation states, yet demographic changes, transmigration, financial globalization and the global media have rendered this perspective problematic. This much-needed book is the first to apply theories of globalisation to gerontology, including Appadurai's theory, allowing readers to understand the implications of growing older in a global age. This comprehensive introduction to globalisation for gerontologists is part of the Ageing in a Global Context series, published in association with the British Society of Gerontology. It will be of particular interest to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students and academics in this area.

Responding to the political and social policy changes made between 2010-2015 a wide-range of experts consider the relationship between the two coalition parties to provide a critical assessment of how their policies affected the British welfare state, including the impact of `austerity'.

This book examines public-nonprofit collaborations in the context of federal homeless policy. Communities across the U.S. are expected to create local homeless service networks, known as Continuums of Care (CoCs), in order to respond to their incidence of homelessness. It leverages unique, original and national data and applies collaborative governance theories to develop a systematic understanding of network governance and leadership, health care services for those experiencing homelessness, and measuring impact of collaborative activities. The book offers a connected and comprehensive understanding of public-nonprofit collaboration in a homeless policy field and management strategies to lead and assess cross-sector arrangements.

The 2014 Supreme Court ruling on McCullen v. Coakley striking down a Massachusetts law regulating anti-abortion activism marked the reengagement of the Supreme Court in abortion politics. A throwback to the days of clinic-front protests, the decision seemed a means to reinvigorate the old street politics of abortion. The Court's ruling also highlights the success of a decades' long effort by anti-abortion activists to transform the very politics of abortion. The New States of Abortion Politics, written by leading scholar Joshua C. Wilson, tells the story of this movement, from streets to legislative halls to courtrooms. With the end of clinic-front activism, lawyers and politicians took on the fight. Anti-abortion activists moved away from a doomed frontal assault on Roe v. Wade and adopted an incremental strategy-putting anti-abortion causes on the offensive in friendly state forums and placing reproductive rights advocates on the defense in the courts. The Supreme Court ruling on Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt in 2016 makes the stakes for abortion politics higher than ever. This book elucidates how-and why.

Offering a detailed and critical account of the many ways in which policy can be evaluated and the innovative methods that can be applied to studying policy, contributions from experts on public policy analysis create a valuable guide for upper level undergraduate and postgraduate students, that can also be used as the basis of an intensive learning experience by policy makers.

What do we really want from schools? Only everything, in all its contradictions. Most of all, we want access and opportunity for all children-but all possible advantages for our own. So argues historian David Labaree in this provocative look at the way "this archetype of dysfunction works so well at what we want it to do even as it evades what we explicitly ask it to do." Ever since the common school movement of the nineteenth century, mass schooling has been seen as an essential solution to great social problems. Yet as wave after wave of reform movements have shown, schools are extremely difficult to change. Labaree shows how the very organization of the locally controlled, administratively limited school system makes reform difficult. At the same time, he argues, the choices of educational consumers have always overwhelmed top-down efforts at school reform. Individual families seek to use schools for their own purposes-to pursue social opportunity, if they need it, and to preserve social advantage, if they have it. In principle, we want the best for all children. In practice, we want the best for our own. Provocative, unflinching, wry, Someone Has to Fail looks at the way that unintended consequences of consumer choices have created an extraordinarily resilient educational system, perpetually expanding, perpetually unequal, constantly being reformed, and never changing much.

This volume examines the ways in which bordering practices influence the everyday lives of racialized parents in the changing welfare states of Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Focusing on the need to negotiate, adjust, and reconcile family life, parenthood and parenting practices in the face of national, material, ideological, cultural, religious, and moral borders, it considers the manner in which these processes are complicated by recent changes in the legitimation of Nordic welfare states. The case studies centre on migrant, refugee, and asylum seeker parents, as well as parents of the indigenous Sami communities. The book considers the ways in which the welfare state and its services construct borders of respectable parenthood, and examines the efforts on the part of racialized parents to negotiate such borders and organize their transnational everyday lives. Uncovering possibilities and obstacles that exist for families seeking to enact citizenship in the Nordic welfare states, Family Life in Transition will appeal to social scientists with interests in the sociology of the family, children, parenting, and the welfare state.

The polar regions (the Arctic and Antarctic) have enjoyed widespread public attention in recent years as issues of conservation, sustainability, resource speculation and geopolitical manoeuvring have all garnered considerable international media interest. This critical collection of new and original papers - the first of its kind - offers a comprehensive exploration of these and other topics, consolidating the emergent field of polar geopolitics. The expert international contributors to this volume offer a range of insightful comparative, interdisciplinary and global perspectives on polar issues. Key topics discussed include resource extraction, regime formation, knowledge construction, border issues, governance and treaties, and indigenous livelihoods. Contributions from scholars of history, geography, political science, anthropology and international law make this a truly comprehensive take on the current state and future prospects of both the polar regions and polar geopolitics as a distinct discipline. Students and professors of geopolitics, political science and geography - especially those with an interest in the polar regions - will find much of value in this book's concrete expression of a new and fascinating field.

No Charity There, now in a revised edition, provides the first general history of social welfare in Australia. It traces the development of official and community attitudes to demands and expectations. Using material not previously readily available, Brian Dickey analyses how Australian society has sought to solve the problems raised by a wide variety of vulnerable groups since 1788: the aged, orphans, single mothers, the insane, alcoholics and the unemployed. No Charity There is a carefully researched and intelligent study of a subject of ever-increasing importance.

This book explores the diverse ways in which disability activism and advocacy are experienced and practised by people with disabilities and their allies. Contributors to the book explore the very different strategies and campaigns they have used to have their demands for respect, dignity and rights heard and acted upon by their communities, by national governments and the international community. The book, with its contemporary global focus, makes a significant contribution to the field of disability and social justice studies, particularly at a time of major social, political and cultural upheaval. Global Perspectives on Disability Activism and Advocacy offers a significant intervention within the field of disability at a time of major social upheaval where actors, advocates and activists are seeking to hold onto existing claims for rights, equality and disability justice.

The Chinese government has recently adopted a radical welfare approach by contracting out social services to non-governmental organisations (NGOs). This is a big departure from its traditional welfare model, whereby all public services were directly delivered by government agencies. This book examines this new welfare approach. It analyses the implementation of various types of services for individuals, families and communities - including medical social services, care of the elderly, probation services and much more. It discusses important issues arising from contracting out, considers the nature of the contracted NGOs and their services, and explores major problems encountered by both government agencies and NGOs. This book also compares the similarities and differences of contracting policies in different cities. Overall, the book provides an overview of one of the most important welfare policy changes in contemporary China.