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Social Policy: Theory and practice is a fully revised, updated and extended edition of a bestselling social policy textbook, extensively reworked and adapted to meet the needs of its international readership. The book lays out the architecture of social policy as a field of study, binding the discussion of theory to the understanding of social policy in practice. It aims to provide students and practitioners with a sense of the scope, range and purpose of the subject while developing critical awareness of problems, issues and common fallacies. Written in an accessible and engaging style, it explains what social policy is and why it matters; looks at social policy in its social context; considers policy, the role of the state and the social services; explores issues in social administration and service delivery; and focuses on the methods and approaches of the subject. For practitioners, there are discussions of the techniques and approaches used to apply social policy in practice. For students, there are boxes raising issues and reviewing case studies, questions for discussion and a detailed glossary. The book's distinctive, path–breaking approach makes it invaluable for students studying social policy at a range levels, professionals and practitioners in the field of social policy

Cover -- Half title -- Titlepage -- Copyright page -- Dedication -- Contents -- List of Exhibits, Figures and Tables -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- 1 Social Policy and Social Policy Analysis -- Why look at social policy making? -- What is policy? -- What is social policy? -- What is policy analysis? -- Who are policy analysts? -- Themes and developments under the Conservatives, 1979 to 1997 -- Policy, administration and management -- Intellectual challenges -- Conclusion -- FURTHER READING -- 2 Perspectives on Policy Making -- Why do we use models of policy and decision making? -- Agenda-setting -- Three dimensions of power -- Rationalism and incrementalism -- The power of bureaucracies -- Perspectives on bureaucracies -- Street-level bureaucrats -- Implementation -- Conclusion -- FURTHER READING -- 3 Power and Policy -- Pluralism -- Corporatism -- The dual state thesis -- Policy communities and policy networks -- Regime theory -- Institutional theory -- Elite theory -- Marxist perspectives -- Public choice theories -- Globalisation -- Conclusion -- FURTHER READING -- 4 Central Government -- What is central government? -- The core executive -- The Cabinet -- Senior civil servants -- The civil service -- Parliament -- The judiciary -- Conclusion -- FURTHER READING -- 5 Multi-Level Governance -- The European Union -- Sub-central government -- Devolution -- Local government -- 'Partnership' -- Conclusion -- FURTHER READING -- 6 Quasi-Government -- What is quasi-government? -- The origins and growth of quangos -- The uses and abuses of quasi-government -- Next Steps agencies -- Reforming quasi-government -- Labour and quasi-government -- Conclusion -- FURTHER READING -- 7 Participation -- Approaches to participation -- User involvement -- Political parties -- The voluntary sector -- Conclusion -- FURTHER READING -- 8 Evaluation.

Cover -- Contents -- List of Figures and Tables -- Acknowledgements -- Abbreviations -- 1 Introduction -- The literature on EU social policy -- Central arguments -- Plan of the book -- 2 Explaining Social Policy-making in the EU -- Why social policy is different from other policies -- European integration and the welfare state -- Theoretical perspectives on European integration -- Social policy-making in a multilevel system -- Social policy and EU legitimacy -- Towards a synthesis -- 3 Social Policy and Multilevel Governance -- The development of social policy in the EU -- The Lisbon and Europe 2020 growth strategies -- Economic crisis and the EU's social dimension -- Conclusion -- 4 Social Security and Pensions -- What is social insurance? -- Free movement and the coordination of social security -- The internal market and occupational pensions -- Soft law and the modernization of pensions -- The sovereign debt crisis and pension reform -- Conclusion -- 5 Employment Policy -- The European Employment Strategy -- A judicial revolution in labour law? -- Reconciliation of work and family -- Conclusion -- 6 Vocational Training and Higher Education -- Varieties of skill formation -- Early development of the EU's VET policy -- Towards a more integrated approach -- Long-term policy coordination: the Lisbon and Europe 2020 growth strategies -- Intergovernmental initiatives: the Bologna Process and the European Qualifications Framework -- The Copenhagen Process and the EQF -- Conclusion -- 7 Health Policy -- Conceptualizing health care -- The internal market and health care -- Public health policy -- Occupational health and safety -- Conclusion -- 8 Poverty and Social Inclusion -- Conceptual foundations -- Social exclusion on the EU policy agenda -- The Lisbon Strategy and social inclusion -- Evaluation the EU's social exclusion policies -- Conclusion.

ABSTRACTWhat social policy developments may be reasonably expected from the European Union? Three possible positions on this question are developed: a market liberal view; a progressive liberal view; and an institutionalist view. None of these positions is obviously the correct one, and in each case a mixture of pragmatic and principled criticisms can be developed. However, it is argued that the progressive liberal position strikes an ethically acceptable balance of competing considerations.

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