Governments in all advanced industrial societies are involved in an endless struggle of how to 'square the welfare circle', as demand for public services rises due to demographic, social and labour market foctors. Government ability to finance this rising tide of public service demand is constrained by economic and, at times, ideological factors but failure to make welfare provision has adverse electoral consequeces. This is not an issue which is likely to go away. Social Policy Towards 2000 examines the issues and factors affecting the welfare state and by comparing the proposals of...

European Welfare Futures presents a clear and up-to-date analysis of developments in social policy in the main EU member states. It provides a systematic account of welfare retrenchment and assesses the competing explanations of this process. The authors provide convincing evidence for the view that an 'ever closer union' in social policy will require a much more difficult process than that which led to monetary union.

The book makes a major contribution to understanding how welfare policy in Europe will develop over the next few years. It offers an original and wide-ranging...

In this major new textbook, Vic George and Robert Page provide an original and much-needed introduction to global social problems and the emergence of a global social policy response.

In an increasingly globalized world, it is inevitable that many of the social problems which have so far been seen as national in character will assume a global character. Global social problems are those which cannot be confined within national boundaries and which need both national and international attention if they are to be ameliorated. Pollution of the atmosphere is a stark example of this...