British Social Policy Since 1945

This is a new edition of one of the most widely used texts on the history of social policy. Covering the period from the end of the Second World War to the present day, Howard Glennerster focuses on the 'Welfare State' to explore the myths that have shaped popular conceptions of social policy, and which continue to dominate current debates. The new edition includes: - an entirely new chapter on developments since the 1997 General Election.- completely updated and amended text, including greater coverage of the Thatcher period.- a new conclusion drawing out what is seen as a distinctively British social policy direction.- more cross-country comparisons.- a fully updated reference section.From the earliest days of the welfare state, to New Labour's reform commitments for the new century, Glennerster concludes that social policy can only ever be understood in the context of the political and economic concerns of the time.

This account of welfare policy in Britain analyzes the period of so-called consensus between 1945 and 1975 and the years between 1975 and 1990 when state welfare came under ideological attack. The guide provides an assessment of the relative successes and failures of social and employment policy.

This is a new edition of one of the most widely used texts on the history of social policy in Britain. Covering the period from the end of the Second World War to the present day, Howard Glennerster focuses on the Welfare State to explore the myths that have shaped popular conceptions of social policy, and which continue to dominate current debates. From the earliest days of the Welfare State, to New Labour's reform commitments for the new century, Glennerster concludes that social policy can only ever be understood in the context of the political and economic concerns of the time. For this third edition the author provides a new final chapter covering New Labour's policy in the twenty-first century and updates the book's earlier chapters, tables, charts, and select bibliography.

This collection of twelve essays reviews the history of welfare in Britain over the past 150 years. It focuses on the ideas that have shaped the development of British social policy, and on the thinkers who have inspired and also contested the welfare state. It thereby constructs an intellectual history of British welfare since the concept first emerged at the end of the nineteenth century. The essays divide into four sections. The first considers the transition from laissez-faire to social liberalism from the 1870s, and the enduring impact of late-Victorian philosophical idealism on the development of the welfare state. It focuses on the moral philosophy of T. H. Green and his influence on key figures in the history of British social policy like William Beveridge, R. H. Tawney, and William Temple. The second section is devoted to the concept of 'planning' which was once, in the mid-twentieth century, at the heart of social policy and its implementation, but which has subsequently fallen out of favour. A third section examines the intellectual debate over the welfare state since its creation in the 1940s. Though a consensus seemed to have emerged during the Second World War over the desirability and scope of a welfare state extending 'from the cradle to the grave', libertarian and conservative critiques endured and re-emerged a generation later. A final section examines social policy and its implementation more recently, both at grass roots level in a study of community action in West London in the districts made infamous by the fire at Grenfell Tower in 2017, and at a systemic level where different models of welfare provision are shown to be in uneasy co-existence today. The collection is a tribute to Jose Harris, emeritus professor of history in the University of Oxford and a pioneer of the intellectual history of social policy. Taken together, these essays conduct the reader through the key phases and debates in the history of British welfare.

Contemporary historical study of the development of social policy in the UK since 1945 and of political aspects, social implications and economic implications of government policy resulting in the welfare state - covers social security, nationalization (incl. Of transport and iron and steel industries and health services), public enterprises, the population explosion and the standard of living, cultural changes, etc. Statistical tables, and bibliography pp. 368 to 376.

This textbook uses political theory to explain the growth of welfare in post-war Britain with special emphasis on social policy.

The welfare state arouses controversy whether attention is focused on its recent past or future development. Leading experts in welfare history draw together the latest research in essays combining broad policy surveys and detailed case studies. The key questions are 'What is a welfare state?' and 'How can it best be analysed?'. The history of the British welfare state suggests that the traditional approach has been too narrow. Current policy should be informed by a greater sense of history.

This book has become the standard text on the course of social policy and social ideas in Britain since the Industrial Revolution. To the first edition Professor Fraser has added a new foreword which sets out the variety of approaches which now exist to the history of social policy. Each chapter has been up-dated and revised in the light of recent research and five further documents have been added to the appendix. In a new postscript Professor Fraser discusses the welfare state in the period since 1973 and suggests what its future may be in the 1980s. The bibliography has been completely revised and contains a full survey of articles, so providing a fully up-to-date second edition which offers new insights and material in the light of current research. A third edition, which will bring this classic text up to the 1990s will be published in 1996.