Towards a more equal society? : : Poverty, inequality and policy since 1997 / / ed. by John Hills, Tom Sefton, Kitty Stewart.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Bristol University Press Backlist eBook-Package 2013-1995
• MitwirkendeR: Burchardt, Tania,; Evandrou, Maria,; Falkingham, Jane,; Heath, Natalie,; Hills, John,; Holder, Holly,; Latorre, Maria,; Lupton, Ruth,; McKnight, Abigail,; Phillips, Coretta,; Power, Anne,; Rutter, Jill,; Salter, Emma,; Sassi, Franco,; Sefton, Tom,; Stewart, Kitty,; Sutherland, Holly,; Vizard, Polly,
• HerausgeberIn: Hills, John,; Sefton, Tom,; Stewart, Kitty,
• Place / Publishing House: Bristol : : Policy Press, , [2009]; ©2009
• Year of Publication: 2009
• Language: English
• Series: CASE Studies on Poverty, Place and Policy
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (432 p.)

When New Labour came to power in 1997, its leaders asked for it to be judged after ten years on its success in making Britain 'a more equal society'. As it approaches the end of an unprecedented third term in office, this book asks whether Britain has indeed moved in that direction. The highly successful earlier volume A more equal society? was described by Polly Toynbee as the LSE's mighty judgement on inequality. Now this second volume by the same team of authors provides an independent assessment of the success or otherwise of New Labour's policies over a longer period. It provides: · consideration by a range of expert authors of a broad set of indicators and policy areas affecting poverty, inequality and social exclusion; · analysis of developments up to the third term on areas including income inequality, education, employment, health inequalities, neighbourhoods, minority ethnic groups, children and older people; · an assessment of outcomes a decade on, asking whether policies stood up to the challenges, and whether successful strategies have been sustained or have run out of steam; chapters on migration, social attitudes, the devolved administrations, the new Equality and Human Rights Commission, and future pressures. The book is essential reading for academic and student audiences with an interest in contemporary social policy, as well as for all those seeking an objective account of Labour's achievements in power.

Table of Contents

Front Matter -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Notes on contributors -- Introduction -- Dimensions of policy and outcomes -- Poverty, inequality and redistribution -- ‘A scar on the soul of Britain’: child poverty and disadvantage under New Labour -- Education: New Labour’s top priority -- More equal working lives? An assessment of New Labour policies -- New Labour and unequal neighbourhoods -- Health inequalities: a persistent problem -- Pensions and income security in later life -- Ethnic inequalities: another 10 years of the same? -- Migration, migrants and inequality -- Cross-cutting issues -- Moving in the right direction? Public attitudes to poverty, inequality and redistribution -- Inequality and the devolved administrations: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland -- Poverty, inequality and child well-being in international context: still bottom of the pack? -- Where do we go from here? -- The Equality and Human Rights Commission: a new point of departure in the battle against discrimination and disadvantage -- Future pressures: intergenerational links, wealth, demography and sustainability -- Conclusions: climbing every mountain or retreating from the foothills? -- References