Policy Press

Fighting poverty, inequality and injustice

A manifesto inspired by Peter Townsend

Edited by Alan Walker, Adrian Sinfield and Carol Walker

Published

Jun 15, 2011

Page count

328 pages

ISBN

978-1847427144

Dimensions

216 x 138 mm

Imprint

Policy Press

Published

Jun 15, 2011

Page count

328 pages

ISBN

978-1847427151

Dimensions

138 x 214 mm

Imprint

Policy Press

Published

Jun 15, 2011

Page count

328 pages

ISBN

978-1447315032

Dimensions

Imprint

Policy Press

Published

Jun 15, 2011

Page count

328 pages

ISBN

978-1447315049

Dimensions

Imprint

Policy Press
Fighting poverty, inequality and injustice

This important book makes a vital academic and political statement in the cause of social justice. It begins with an appreciation of the seminal contributions of Peter Townsend (1928-2009), and applies them to contemporary policy debates. It brings together many of the leading contributors to current debates in this field and provides a compelling manifesto for change for students and researchers in the social sciences, policy makers and practitioners, and everybody with an interest in creating a more equal and socially just society.

"This book deals in a scholarly but easily read way with many of the questions we are now debating...." David Donnison in Scottish Review

"Peter Townsend was the greatest British social scientist of the 20th Century. This book by leading experts, clearly explains Townsend's contribution to knowledge and how his ideas will influence research and policy in the future." David Gordon,

Townsend Centre for International Poverty Research, University of Bristol

"Part biography, part manifesto, part a work of research and scholarship, this book is in a fascinating genre of its own. Based on the ideas of the late Peter Townsend, it makes an elegant and powerful contribution to debates of major contemporary importance." Colin Crouch, Warwick Business School

Alan Walker, Professor of Social Policy and Social Gerontology at the University of Sheffield, works across a broad field in social analysis, social policy and social gerontology.

Adrian Sinfield, Professor Emeritus of Social Policy at the University of Edinburgh, has worked on social security, poverty, unemployment and the social division of welfare.

Carol Walker, Professor of Social Policy at the University of Lincoln, works in the areas of poverty, social security, and the quality of life of people with learning difficulties and their family carers as they age.

The legacy of Peter Townsend ~ Adrian Sinfield, Alan Walker and Carol Walker; The making of a pioneer researcher: reflections from Peter Townsend's life story ~ Paul Thompson; Peter Townsend, a man ahead of his time: re-reading 'The family life of old people' and 'The last refuge' ~ Hilary Land and Hilary Rose; The case for universal child benefit ~ Anthony B. Atkinson; Poverty ~ Jonathan Bradshaw; Social justice for children: investigating and eradicating child poverty ~ Ruth Lister; For universalism and against the means test ~ Carol Walker; Underclass, overclass, ruling class, supernova class ~ Danny Dorling; Addressing health inequalities: building on Peter Townsend's legacy ~ Margaret Whitehead; Towards a new sociology of ageing: from structured dependency to critical gerontology ~ Chris Phillipson; Disability: prospects for social inclusion ~ Carol Thomas; Putting the lawyers in their place: the role of human rights in the struggle against poverty ~ Conor Gearty; Radicalising social policy in the 21st century: a global approach ~ Nicola Yeates and Bob Deacon; Conclusion: building on the legacy of Peter Townsend ~ Alan Walker and Carol Walker.