Handbook on Society and Social Policy

Edited by Nick Ellison, University of York and Tina Haux, University of Kent, UK  

‘The editors and contributors to the Handbook on Society and Social Policy are to be congratulated for producing a wide-ranging and important overview of the field which will serve as a standard reference work for many years to come. Dealing with many diverse aspects of social policy, it is particularly noteworthy for moving beyond the standard Western “welfare state” approach which has characterized the subject in the past to incorporate valuable material from other parts of the world as well.’

– James Midgley, University of California, Berkeley

This comprehensive Handbook provides a unique examination of the key issues and challenges facing society and social policy in the twenty-first century. Featuring both wide-ranging coverage of major issues and detailed analysis of social policies in different countries, the Handbook explores key concepts, policy areas and institutions, considering welfare and social policy in the context of wider socio-economic and cultural divisions.

In addition to examining specific policy areas, contributors engage with the social divisions and complex infrastructures that underpin them on both local and global scales. Chapters also discuss significant challenges to contemporary social policy, including the threats to human and societal well-being posed by austerity, migration and the climate crisis, as well as the opportunities these present to reshape policy conceptually, ideologically and practically in the future in response to these issues. 

Scholars and students in social policy, sociology and political science looking for a comprehensive overview of the field of social policy will find this Handbook an invaluable resource. It will also prove useful to researchers and practitioners seeking in-depth analyses of particular countries or policy areas covered.

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Edward Elgar Publishing  •  Cheltenham  •  2020