Social and Public Policy - Shorts

A Sharing Economy proposes radical new ways to close the UK’s growing income gap and spread social opportunities. A new social wealth fund would boost economic and social investment and simultaneously strengthen the public finances and offer a powerful antidote to austerity.

This provocative short book is a valuable introduction to social security in Britain and the potential for its reform.

In the UK, as in other rich countries, the ‘playing-field’ is anything but level and the family plays a surprisingly crucial part in maintaining inequality. This book explores how seemingly mundane aspects of family life raise fundamental questions of social justice and calls for a rethink of what equality of opportunity means.

EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC- ND This accessible, yet authoritative book shows how the pandemic is a syndemic of disease and inequality. It argues that these inequalities are a political choice and we need to learn quickly to prevent growing inequality and to reduce health inequalities in the future.

This book calls for a bold forward-looking social policy that addresses continuing austerity, under-resourced organisations and a lack of social solidarity. Based on a research programme by the Webb Memorial Trust, a key theme is power which shows that the way forward is to increase people’s sense of agency in building the society that they want.

Drawing on a decade of research, an internationally renowned expert explains how cities and communities can develop recovery strategies following the COVID-19 pandemic that promote social, economic and environmental justice.

Drawing on case studies of 12 primary schools and early years settings across England, this book explores how food banks operate for families facing financial insecurity operate and how they affect children’s participation and wellbeing. It explores the major policy decisions that needs to be made to support families.

Highlighting the substandard living conditions faced by many residents in social housing communities in Ireland, this book provides key information on housing quality at the community level and identifies practical solutions in the health, community care and housing sectors.

Drawing on research from two UK schools, this book reveals how migration, language, ethnicity, religion and precarity shape youth relationships. Using Buber's model, it analyses 'I-It' and 'I-Thou' interactions, showcasing their power to reshape differences. It offers a pragmatic and hopeful view of the dynamics of diversity in everyday life.

The perpetuation of poverty across generations damages lives. Drawing on a wide variety of sources and academic disciplines, along with lived experiences, this book examines why poverty is continued across generations and what needs to be done to eradicate it.

This important book uses empirical evidence to explore the concept of public trust in health systems.

In doing so, it provides a comprehensive contemporary explanation of public trust, how it affects health systems and how it can be nurtured and maintained as an integral component of health system governance.

Using original data analysis from a wide range of sources, this book addresses the vital contemporary issue of regional inequality through the impact of COVID-19.