Social Policy

This textbook has been designed for use by undergraduates on social policy, social work and sociology courses, and by students on vocational training courses, including those leading to postgraduate qualifications. The volume covers all the main areas of social policy in 21 chapters, each written by an expert in the field. Readers are introduced to the key evidence and the main questions about social policy and welfare systems. A central objective of the book is to show how social research can inform social policy debates. The book focuses mainly on social policy in the United Kingdom, but frequent comparisons are drawn with developments elsewhere in the European Union and in the United States. All the key terms used in the study of social policy are explained and readers are guided to further reading. The chapters are written in a non-technical way, and accessible and topical examples are highlighted in special boxes. There are numerous tables and figures and the overall presentation is designed to be user-friendly. The text offers a comprehensive account of current developments in social policy as well as providing students with the facts and the theoretical knowledge they will need to reach their own judgements in a rapidly developing field.