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Social Class in the 21st Century. (Print Copy) by 
Inequality: what can be done? (Print Copy) by
Inequality is one of our most urgent social problems. Curbed in the decades after World War II, it has recently returned with a vengeance. We all know the scale of the problem-talk about the 99% and the 1% is entrenched in public debate-but there has been little discussion of what we can do but despair. According to the distinguished economist Anthony Atkinson, however, we can do much more than skeptics imagine. Atkinson has long been at the forefront of research on inequality, and brings his theoretical and practical experience to bear on its diverse problems. He presents a comprehensive set of policies that could bring about a genuine shift in the distribution of income in developed countries. The problem, Atkinson shows, is not simply that the rich are getting richer. We are also failing to tackle poverty, and the economy is rapidly changing to leave the majority of people behind. To reduce inequality, we have to go beyond placing new taxes on the wealthy to fund existing programs. We need fresh ideas. Atkinson thus recommends ambitious new policies in five areas: technology, employment, social security, the sharing of capital, and taxation. ‎ He defends these against the common arguments and excuses for inaction: that intervention will shrink the economy, that globalization makes action impossible, and that new policies cannot be afforded. More than just a program for change, Atkinson's book is a voice of hope and informed optimism about the possibilities for political action.
Social exclusion 2nd edn. (Print Copy) by
Reviews of the First Edition: "thoughtful, critical, comprehensive, genuine... Byrne's workshould prove compulsory reading for any critical and nuancedview of social exclusion." Progress in Human Geography "The presentation of a single, coherent argument is one of the strengths of thisbook... [It] fills a gap in the debate on social exclusion." Political Studies 'Social Exclusion' is a key phrase in social policy and social politics across most of contemporary Europe. It is a description of the condition of individuals, households, neighbourhoods, ethnic and other 'identity' groups, who can be identified as being excluded from society. The second edition of this widely read book explores developments in social theory, social experience and social policy in relation to Social Exclusion. The first part examines the origins of the term and implications of the difference between the ideas of 'exclusion', 'underclass', 'residuum' and related concepts. The discussion is informed by the application of Complexity Theory. In the updated second part, the theoretical account is developed through a detailed review of the dynamics of individual lives in a changing social order. Income equality, spatial division, and exclusion in relation to health, education and cultural provision and processes are examined in a range of societies in Europe and North America. The last part contains a new chapter outlining the content and impact of national and international policies which have been specifically developed to address issues of exclusion. This is important reading for students on social sciences courses including sociology, social theory and social policy.
Chavs. (Print Copy) by
Bestselling investigation into the myth and reality of working-class life in contemporary Britain In modern Britain, the working class has become an object of fear and ridicule. From Little Britain's Vicky Pollard to the demonization of Jade Goody, media and politicians alike dismiss as feckless, criminalized and ignorant a vast, underprivileged swathe of society whose members have become stereotyped by one, hate-filled word: chavs. In this acclaimed investigation, Owen Jones explores how the working class has gone from "salt of the earth" to "scum of the earth." Exposing the ignorance and prejudice at the heart of the chav caricature, he portrays a far more complex reality. The chav stereotype, he argues, is used by governments as a convenient fig leaf to avoid genuine engagement with social and economic problems and to justify widening inequality. When Chavs was first published in 2011 it opened up the discussion of class in Britain. Then, in the public debate after the riots of that summer, Owen Jones's thesis was proved right--the working class were the scapegoats for everything that was wrong with Britain. This new edition includes a new chapter, reflecting on the overwhelming response to the book and the situation in Britain today.
Inequality and the 1% New edn. (Print Copy) by
Since the great recession hit in 2008, the 1% has only grown richer while the rest find life increasingly tough. The gap between the haves and the have-nots has turned into a chasm. While the rich have found new ways of protecting their wealth, everyone else has suffered the penalties of austerity. But inequality is more than just economics. Being born outside the 1% has a dramatic impact on a person's potential: reducing life expectancy, limiting education and work prospects, and even affecting mental health. What is to be done? In Inequality and the 1% leading social thinker Danny Dorling lays bare the extent and true cost of the division in our society and asks what have the superrich ever done for us. He shows that inquality is the greatest threat we face and why we must urgently redress the balance.
Social divisions 3rd edn. (Print Copy) by
Society consists of sharply divided people with different lives and distinct identities. Written by leading sociologists, the new edition covers a range of social inequalities, with new chapters on work, social identity and global social divisions. It continues to be an invaluable, up-to-date introduction for social science students.
The spirit level : why equality is better for everyone (Print Copy) by
Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett's The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone is the most influential and talked-about book on society in the last decade - now updated with a new chapter on the controversy the book has ignited. Why do we mistrust people more ...
in the UK than in Japan? Why do Americans have higher rates of teenage pregnancy than the French?
What makes the Swedish thinner than the Australians?
The answer: inequality. This groundbreaking book, based on years of research, provides hard evidence to show: How almost everything - from life expectancy to mental illness, violence to illiteracy - is affected not by how wealthy a society is, but how equal it isThat societies with a bigger gap between rich and poor are bad for everyone in them - including the well-off How we can find positive solutions and move towards a happier, fairer future Urgent, provocative and genuinely uplifting, The Spirit Level has been heralded as providing a new way of thinking about ourselves and our communities, and could change the way you see the world. 'A big idea, big enough to change political thinking' - Guardian 'A remarkable new book ... the implications are profound' - Will Hutton, Observer 'The evidence is hard to dispute' - EconomistRichard Wilkinson studied economic history at the London School of Economics before training in epidemiology and is Professor Emeritus at the University of Nottingham Medical School and Honorary Professor at University College London. Kate Pickett is a Professor of Epidemiology at the University of York and a National Institute for Health Research Career Scientist.
Her work with Richard Wilkinson on The Spirit Level was shortlisted for Research Project of the Year 2009 by the Times Higher Education Supplement, and their book was chosen as one of the Top Ten Books of the Decade by the New Statesman.
The Working Class in Mid Twentieth-Century England. (Print Copy) by
This book maps how working class life was transformed in England in the middle years of the twentieth century. National trends in employment, welfare and living standards are illuminated via a focus on Brighton, providing valuable new perspectives of class and community formation. Based on fresh archival research, life histories and contemporary social surveys, the book historicises important cultural and community studies which moulded popular perceptions of class and social change in the post-war period. It shows how council housing, slum clearance and demographic trends impacted on working-class families and communities. While suburbanisation transformed home life, leisure and patterns of association, there were important continuities in terms of material poverty, social networks and cultural practices. This book will be essential reading for academics and students researching modern and contemporary social and cultural history, sociology, cultural studies and human geography.
Me, Me, Me? (Print Copy) by
Many commentators tell us that, in today's world, everyday life has become selfish and atomised--that individuals live only to consume. But are they wrong?In Me, Me, Me, Jon Lawrence re-tells the story of England since the Second World War through the eyes of ordinary people - including his own parents - to argue that, in fact, friendship, family, and place all remain central to our daily lives, and whilst community has changed, it is far from dead.He shows how, in the years after the Second World War, people came increasingly to question custom and tradition as the pressure to conform to societal standards became intolerable. And as soon as they could, millions escaped the closed, face-to-face communities of Victorian Britain, where everyoneknew your business. But this was not a rejection of community per se, but an attempt to find another, new way of living which was better suited to the modern world.Community has become personal and voluntary, based on genuine affection rather than proximity or need. We have never been better connected or able to sustain the relationships that matter to us. Me, Me, Me? makes that case that it's time we valued and nurtured these new groups, rather thanlamenting the loss of more 'real' forms of community--it is all too easy to hold on to a nostalgic view of the past.
Social Inequality. 2nd edn. (Print Copy) by
Now in an updated second edition, Social Inequality continues to be an essential guide to understanding social inequality and stratification, helping readers to understand what inequality is, how it is defined, explored and measured, and what the key social divisions are at both global and national level. The new edition includes: A global context, offering a comparative discussion on social inequalities, policy, and justice. NEW CHAPTER: ′Youth and Age′ discusses age as a social construct and form of division. NEW CHAPTER: ′Health and disability′ defines health inequalities and analyses the current thinkers on health inequalities and their proposed solutions. Updated coverage of sexuality and transgender issues. Enhanced discussion of migration and asylum seeking.
The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality makes Societies Stronger by
This groundbreaking book, based on thirty years' research, demonstrates that more unequal societies are bad for almost everyone within them-the well-off and the poor.
The remarkable data the book lays out and the measures it uses are like a spirit level which we can hold up to compare different societies.
The ...
differences revealed, even between rich market democracies, are striking.
Almost every modern social and environmental problem-ill health, lack of community life, violence, drugs, obesity, mental illness, long working hours, big prison populations-is more likely to occur in a less equal society.
The book goes to the heart of the apparent contrast between material success and social failure in many modern national societies.The Spirit Level does not simply provide a diagnosis of our ills, but provides invaluable instruction in shifting the balance from self-interested consumerism to a friendlier, more collaborative society.
It shows a way out of the social and environmental problems which beset us, and opens up a major new approach to improving the real quality of life, not just for the poor but for everyone.
It is, in its conclusion, an optimistic book, which should revitalize politics and provide a new way of thinking about how we organize human communities.
