Understanding Social Policy

The fourth edition of Michael Hill's "Understanding Social Policy" is a substantial revision of this text. It remains a comprehensive introduction to the study of social policy, but full consideration is given to the ways in which the terms of the policy debate have changed. This edition brings up to date all the relevant information and reflects the new views of social policy made by the Conservatives under Mrs Thatcher and inherited by John Major. The new edition also provides a useful guide to British social policy as it is today. Developments such as the 1986 Social Security Act, privatization, increased unemployment and the "community care" debate are fully covered, as are the effects of over a decade of Conservative policy-making: on housing, education and the personal social services in particular. The book should appeal to students of social policy, health workers, social workers and others, giving a thorough introduction to the whole field and an assessment of its historical development.