Social Policy in a Changing Society is a critical guide to theories about society, exploring the links between social theory and social policy. It considers a range of interpretations of changes in society, politics and the economy, and assesses their practical implications for social welfare. Social Policy in a Changing Society will be essential reading for undergraduates studying social policy and sociology.

Social Policy in a Changing Society is a critical guide to theories about society, exploring the links between social theory and social policy. It considers a range of interpretations of changes in society, politics and the economy, and assesses their practical implications for social welfare. Social Policy in a Changing Society will be essential reading for undergraduates studying social policy and sociology.

Paul Spicker's new book takes the three founding principles of the French Revolution - Liberty, Equality, Fraternity - and examines how they relate to social policy today. The book considers the political and moral dimensions of a wide range of social policies, and offers a different way of thinking about each subject from the way it is usually analysed. The book is in three main parts, one part devoted to Liberty, Equality and Fraternity in turn. Each part explores the elements and dimensions of the key concept, its application to policy, its interrelationship with the other two principles,...

Reclaiming Individualism reviews the scope of individualist approaches to public policy, considering how they shape contemporary policy practices. It argues for a concept of individualism based on rights, human dignity, shared interests, and social protection, providing a thorough analysis and classification of individualism as applied to social and public policy. An important resource for those working or studying in these fields, it is a powerful restatement of some of the key values that led to the establishment of individualism as such a strong social force.

This fully revised, updated, and extended edition of a bestselling social policy textbook lays out the architecture of social policy as a field of study, combining theoretical discussions with discussions of social policy in practice. Paul Spicker provides readers with a sense of the scope, range, and purpose of social policy studies and helps foster a critical awareness of the problems that can beset it. He explains what social policy is and why it matters, looks at policy in a social context, considers the role of the state and social services in the larger public, and explores issues in...

This fully revised, updated, and extended edition of a bestselling social policy textbook lays out the architecture of social policy as a field of study, combining theoretical discussions with discussions of social policy in practice. Paul Spicker provides readers with a sense of the scope, range, and purpose of social policy studies and helps foster a critical awareness of the problems that can beset it. He explains what social policy is and why it matters, looks at policy in a social context, considers the role of the state and social services in the larger public, and explores issues in...

This book makes the case for the welfare state. Nearly every government in the developed world offers some form of social protection, and measures to improve the social and economic well-being of its citizens. However, the provision of welfare is under attack. The critics argue that welfare states are illegitimate, that things are best left to the market, and that welfare has bad effects on the people who receive it. If we need to be reminded why we ought to have welfare, it is because so many people have come think that we should not. Arguments for Welfare is a short, accessible guide to the...

This book makes the case for the welfare state. Nearly every government in the developed world offers some form of social protection, and measures to improve the social and economic well-being of its citizens. However, the provision of welfare is under attack. The critics argue that welfare states are illegitimate, that things are best left to the market, and that welfare has bad effects on the people who receive it. If we need to be reminded why we ought to have welfare, it is because so many people have come think that we should not. Arguments for Welfare is a short, accessible guide to the...

In this thought-provoking book, Paul Spicker challenges us to rethink social security benefits. Focusing on the UK system, he puts forward a case for reform, arguing 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 ill-conceived. Addressing these misconceptions, Spicker assesses the real problems with the system, problems that derive from its size, its complexity, the expectation that benefits agencies should know...