In 2024, following years of austerity, political instability and external shocks including Brexit, COVID-19 and the cost-of-living crisis, the Labour Party was voted into power in the UK. This book is the first in-depth analysis of the Labour government from a social policy perspective.Through expert chapters covering broad themes such as public expenditure, public opinion and devolution, and substantive areas including children and families, health, education, housing, social secu...

"A simply brilliant history that rescues from undeserved obscurity a roster of pioneering women in the very beginning of the age of aviation." — Midwest Book ReviewFrom have-a-go Georgians to emancipated Edwardians, the lady aeronauts were actresses, writers, heiresses, scientists, engineers, explorers, showgirls and suffragettes. These unsung trailblazers for female freedom enjoyed lives shot through with sheer courage and joie de vivre. Yet they were all...

This biography of the mysterious Maria Branwell "portrays a woman of intelligence, social savvy, wit and strength as well as a love for books . . . engrossing" ( Historical Novel Society).They were from different lands, different classes, different worlds almost. The chances of Cornish gentlewoman Maria Branwell even meeting the poor Irish curate Patrick Brontë in Regency England, let alone falling passionately in love, were remote. Yet M...

Award-winning journalist Sharon Wright presents a fascinating account of the fabulous eighteenth and nineteenth-century female pioneers of balloon flight.More than a century before the first airplane took flight, women were heading for the heavens in crazy, inspired contraptions that brought both danger and glory. Women were in the vanguard of the "Balloonomania" craze that took hold in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, sweeping across Europe and then the wo...

The groundbreaking biography of Maria Branwell reveals a remarkable woman who has been lost in the shadows of her gifted children, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë. The witty, clever and intrepid Cornish lady of letters, lover of Patrick and mother of genius has been missing for too long. The extraordinary Brontës were a family like no other and it all began when Maria met Patrick.

Winner of SPA Richard Titmuss Prize 2024.Recent welfare reforms, based on austerity narratives and a gender-neutral rationale, have failed to recognise the ways in which women and men experience the different demands and rewards of paid employment and unpaid care.This book draws on a wealth of qualitative longitudinal evidence to cast light on women’s lived experiences of welfare and work. Giving voice to social security recipients, this book uncovers the hidden gendered bi...

Uniquely Future Schools not only provides design guidance on themes in schools architecture and a wealth of recent innovative projects drawn from the UK but also an understanding of the socio-political and economic context that any practice must work within when taking on a schools project. It balances beautiful visuals and innovative case studies with in-depth discussion of the thought processes and issues to consider in good school design. Reflecting on ambitious projects during...

This fully updated and expanded edition of the bestselling Student’s Companion to Social Policy charts the latest developments, research, challenges, and controversies in the field in a concise, authoritative format.Provides students with the analytical base from which to investigate and evaluate key concepts, perspectives, policies, and outcomes at national and international levelsFeatures a new section on devolution and social policy in the UK; enhanced d...

When space is tight how can a city provide the best education experience for children? Is a multi-storey school really a poor option? Can high-quality play opportunities be provided without playgrounds? This book explores the design of schools in urban settings, the increased challenges in meeting the typical expectations of school design, and what the successful new typology of a school in a city might be. A practical guide as well as a theoretical exploration of ideas, this book outlines...

A collection of stimulating essays exploring the wide-ranging debates surrounding the relationship between business and society in 21st century Ireland.Wide-ranging, diverse and thought-provoking contributions from leading business researchers, economists, sociologists and political scientists from Ireland and abroad probe five central themes: the making and unmaking of the Celtic Tiger; governance, regulation and justice; partnership and participation; the nature of Irish borders ...

Foreign aid is now a $100bn business and is expanding more rapidly today than it has for a generation. But does it work? Indeed, is it needed at all? Other attempts to answer these important questions have been dominated by a focus on the impact of official aid provided by governments. But today possibly as much as 30 percent of aid is provided by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and over 10 percent is provided as emergency assistance. In this first-ever attempt to provide an overall...

Several problems plague contemporary thinking about governance. From the multiple definitions that are often vague and confusing, to the assumption that governance strategies, networks and markets represent attempts by weakening states to maintain control. Rethinking Governance questions this view and seeks to clarify how we understand governance. Arguing that it is best understood as 'the strategies used by governments to help govern', the authors counter the view that governments have be...