Summary

The new edition of the bestselling guide to the issues students will encounter in the study of social policy in both the UK and abroad

Fully updated and expanded, the sixth edition of The Student’s Companion to Social Policy remains the most accessible and comprehensive review of UK and comparative social policy available for undergraduate students. Written and edited by leading experts in the field, this authoritative textbook covers all the perspectives, debates, issues and challenges in both the theory and practice of social policy.

The latest edition reflects the most recent developments in the discipline and in social policy-making. New and revised chapters examine critical topics such as the policy agenda of the UK government elected in 2019 and the implications of globalization, climate change, Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. A wealth of new and revised illustrative material, including additional problem-centred review and assignment questions, enhance students’ learning and comprehension whilst encouraging them to reflect on and reconsider the issues raised in each social policy discussion. A timely, issue-driven overview for students to draw upon throughout their studies, this acclaimed textbook:

Provides the analytical foundation necessary to investigate and evaluate the key concepts and perspectives central to the study of social policy
Presents up-to-date coverage of policy formation and outcomes, national and international debates and the challenges and choices facing societies
Features new and revised coverage of key issues including international and comparative developments, austerity and post-austerity policies in the UK and devolved administrations, public attitudes to welfare and sustainability challenges
Offers a range of pedagogical tools such as boxed 5-point summary overviews, “Emerging Issues” sections, guides to further resources and chapter review questions

The Student’s Companion to Social Policy, Sixth Edition is essential reading for all those on Social Policy courses, whether specialising in the subject or studying it as part of another programme across the social sciences at undergraduate or postgraduate level.

Author Biography

Pete Alcock is Emeritus Professor of Social Policy and Administration at the University of Birmingham, UK. He retired in 2016 after teaching and researching in the field for over forty years, and his research covered the fields of poverty and anti-poverty policy, social security, and the role of the UK third sector. He was Head of the School of Social Sciences at Birmingham (2003-2008), Director of the Third Sector Research Centre (2008-2014), and Director of the University’s ESRC Doctoral Training Centre (2013-16). He is author and editor of a number of leading books on social policy including Why We Need Welfare: Collective Action for the Common Good, (2016), Social Policy in Britain (5th edition, with L. Gregory, due 2022), Welfare Theory and Development (2011), International Social Policy: Welfare Regimes in the Developed World (2nd edition, 2009), and Understanding Poverty (3rd edition, 2006).

Tina Haux is Director of the Centre for Children and Families at The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) in London, UK. She is author of The Impact of Social Policy Scholars (2017), and has served in the editorial board of the Journal of Social Policy (2015-2017) and Social Policy & Society (2011-2014). Her main research interests are family policy, welfare-to-work, social justice, evidence-based policy-making and, increasingly, longitudinal research methods.

Vikki McCall is Senior Lecturer in Social Policy and Housing at the University of Stirling, UK. She is co-author of the book The Role of Today’s Museum (2020) with C. Gray, and has served on the editorial board of Social Policy & Society (2018-present) and the Social Policy Association Executive Committee (2018-present). Her research interests include housing, ageing, volunteers, devolution, poverty, inequality, gender, social problems, urban society, museums and the cultural sector.

Margaret May is Honorary Research Fellow in Social Policy at the University of Birmingham, UK. With over thirty years of experience in teaching, examining and researching in social policy, she has edited and co-authored a number of leading books in the field, including Social Policy in Britain (4th edition, 2014), The Blackwell Dictionary of Social Policy (2002) and co-edited and contributed to Taxation and Social Policy, with A Lymer and A Sinfield (due 2023). Her research interests include occupational and private welfare, employment policy, human resource management and taxation.