Suchergebnisse

"This Student's Companion to Social Policy is a resource book that will be of practical use to students of social policy throughout their undergraduate or postgraduate study of the subject. It aims to acquaint them with the study of social policy by covering all the main themes and issues likely to be included in any curriculum in the UK, and indeed in many other countries. Readers are introduced to current theoretical and ideological debates, historical developments, service areas, key policy issues and the broader UK and international context in which social policy operates. Each chapter includes a short guide to further sources, which points to some of the literature that pursues the issues addressed in the chapter in more depth and also alerts readers to major web-based sources. The Companion will be of value to students studying social policy on its own, as part of another undergraduate or postgraduate programme (for instance, sociology, politics, applied social science or management studies) or as part of a professional course in a related field (for instance, social care work, nursing and health studies, public and civil society sector management or criminology). For this sixth edition of the Companion existing authors have updated their contributions; and in some cases previous authors have been replaced with others leading in research and teaching in those areas. As in the last edition we have asked contributors to provide readers with a short bullet point summary of key points at the beginning of each chapter and to conclude with some brief speculations on emerging issues. There has also been a change in the editorial team for this edition. Sharon Wright has taken on other responsibilities since the publication of the fifth edition and has been replaced as fourth editor by Vikki McCall. The current editors and the publisher would like to thank Sharon for all her work on previous editions. We are pleased that Vikki has been able to join us, and her role has meant that the editorial process has remained much the same for this latest edition."

What is welfare? Why is it a key part of the 'common good' for all? And how should we go about providing it? Pete Alcock, a well-respected expert, explains the challenges that collective welfare faces, and explores the complexities involved in delivering it, including debates about who benefits from welfare and how and where it is delivered. His primary focus is on the UK, including the problems of poverty and inequality, and how recent political and economic changes have undermined public investment; but he also draws on international examples from Europe and other OECD countries, such as the impact of private health care in the USA. Why we need welfare is a call for new forms of collective action to meet welfare needs in the 21st century. It offers a fresh perspective on the key issues involved, and is a great introduction to this important and topical debate

Comments on Helen Sullivan's "A Big Society needs an active state" (same journal issue). Adapted from the source document.

AbstractThe development of third sector policy in the UK since 1997 has seen changes which have been of significance both for analysts and practitioners. This period has seen government engagement with and support for the sector extend far beyond the levels found throughout much of the last century. This has led to a growth in the size and scale of the sector and a closer involvement of sector representatives in political debate and policy planning. These changes have taken place at the same time as third sector policy has been devolved to the new administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This article explores the impact of devolution on these policy developments and assesses the extent to which political devolution has led to policy divergence across the four countries in the UK. The conclusion is reached that policy devolution has created important new space for policy development for the third sector across the UK, but that the direction of travel in all four regimes has remained remarkably similar.