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Social Policy and Welfare Pluralism

Selected Writings of Robert Pinker

Robert Pinker editor John Offer editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Bristol University Press

Published:31st Oct '17

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Social Policy and Welfare Pluralism cover

Robert Pinker has written extensively on social policy matters since the early 1960s. His distinct approach to understanding concepts such as welfare pluralism is of particular relevance today as welfare pluralism remains an essential component of the policy mix, giving people access to a greater range and diversity of statutory, voluntary, and private sector services than unitary models of welfare provide.

Social Policy and Welfare Pluralism presents the first collection of Robert Pinker’s essays in one edited volume. It includes essays on the ways in which welfare theories and ideologies and public expectations have influenced and shaped the political processes of policy making. Other essays focus on clarifying some of the key concepts that underpin the study of social policy. Pinker also reviews the extent to which the United Kingdom has succeeded in creating a ‘policy mix’ in which normative compromises are negotiated between the claims of market individualism and public sector collectivism. The concluding chapter by Robert Pinker reviews the prospects for social policy in the UK over the next five years.

“A remarkable collection of lectures and old and new essays by Professor Robert Pinker over the last several decades. John Offer does a masterful job curating Pinker’s work in light of changing social and policy contexts and ideas. These lectures are as relevant today as they were before, with each chapter calling readers to challenge and rethink status quo. This is a must read for students of and anyone interested in social policy.” Professor Ito Peng, University of Toronto
"This eagerly anticipated volume exemplifies the significant role that Robert Pinker has played in enriching our understanding of social policy." Robert M Page, Reader in Democratic Socialism and Social Policy, University of Birmingham
"A key thinker on the welfare state, Robert Pinker has been unjustly neglected. This collection of his essays demonstrates what an omission that has been and offers the opportunity to rectify it – one that should be taken by all those interested in the development of social policy." Professor Sir Julian Le Grand, London School of Economics
"This book helps to rediscover a key writer from the first generation of welfare state theorists, and might induce young readers to have a closer look at his classic contributions to welfare state theory... The volume mixes old and more recent contributions, published and unpublished ones, including three newly written chapters. What Pinker has to say is amazingly topical and reads fresh. Moreover, Pinker is a brilliant stylist, so one can enjoy reading this volume." Journal of Social Policy (Cambridge University Press)

ISBN: 9781447323556

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

352 pages