Re-Stating Social and Political Change (Sociology and Social Change)

"Re-Stating Social and Political Change" provides a critical introduction to the social, political and cultural changes that have occurred in Britain since the war, and argues that these changes can best be understood in terms of a theory of the state. "Re-Stating Social and Political Change" reviews and assesses the major theories of the state that have sought to diagnose and explain the trajectories of western societies. It provides a powerful case for the study of the state, and demonstrates how state theory can shed new light on war, social change, the extension of citizenship, the emergence of a patriarchal welfare state, the crisis of the state and the rise and demise of Thatcherism. Its features: focuses on 'real' examples from post-war British society; makes considerable use of figures, tables and diagrams; each chapter is structured around a key set of questions and issues; and gives a genuinely introductory critical account of existing theories. Colin Hay has written a broad introduction to this pressing topic, which presents a new and distinctive argument about the role of the state in our understanding of social and political change. He also examines the impact of Thatcherism on the state, the possibility of a post-Thatcherism settlement and the role of the current Labour Party, and assesses the prognosis for the future. "Re-Stating Social and Political Change" will be important reading for students of sociology, social and political theory, politics, social policy and women's studies.