Published
Jun 2, 1999Page count
368 pagesISBN
978-1861341518Dimensions
216 x 138 mmImprint
Policy Press
New Labour, new welfare state?
The New Labour government elected in May 1997 claimed that it would modernise the welfare state, by rejecting the solutions of both the Old Left and the New Right.
New Labour, new welfare state? provides the first comprehensive examination of the social policy of New Labour; compares and contrasts current policy areas with both the Old Left and the New Right and applies the concept of the 'third way' to individual policy areas and to broader themes which cut across policy areas.
The contributors provide a comprehensive account of developments in the main policy areas and in the themes of citizenship and accountability, placing these within a wider framework of the 'third way'. They find a complex picture. Although the exact shape of the new welfare state is difficult to detect, it is clear that there have been major changes in areas such as citizenship, the mixed economy of welfare, the centrality of work in an active welfare state, and the appearance of new elements such as joined up government at the centre and new partnerships of governance at the periphery.
New Labour, new welfare state? provides topical information on the debate on the future of the welfare state and is essential reading for students and researchers in social policy, politics and sociology.
"This very substantial book ... gives a comprehensive account of the social welfare policies of the Labour government" Labour Research
"There probably isn't another assessment as comprehensive as this available." New Labour Organiser
"No reading list on contemporary British social policy should be without it!" Ruth Lister
"Books which deal comprehensively and yet critically with the New Labour government’s third way for welfare reform will quickly become required reading for all students of social policy. This collection achieves both of these goals and is therefore deserving of such wide attention." Pete Alcock
"... packed with information ... it can be used as a valuable reference book." Labour Research
Martin Powell is Professor of Social Policy in the Department of Applied Social Science, University of Stirling.
Contents: Introduction ~ Martin Powell; Public expenditure and the public/private mix ~ Tania Burchardt and John Hills; New Labour's health policy: the new healthcare state ~ Calum Paton; The personal social services and community care ~ Norman Johnson; Education, education, education ~ Yolande Muschamp, Ian Jamieson and Hugh Lauder; Housing policy under New Labour ~ Peter A. Kemp; New Labour and social security ~ Martin Hewitt; New Labour and employment, training and employee relations ~ Peter Cressey; The new politics of law and order: Labour, crime and justice ~ Sarah Charman and Stephen P. Savage; Citizenship ~ Hartley Dean; Accountability ~ John Rouse and George Smith; Bridging the Atlantic: the Democratic (Party) origins of Welfare to Work ~ Desmond King and Mark Wickham-Jones; Conclusion ~ Martin Powell.
