8 books found
Recent decades have seen the study of politics invaded by economic theories, methods and techniques. This book gives a concise, non- technical account of these 'public choice' theories and examines their influence upon government policies in English-speaking countries. Issues covered include slimming the state, privatising welfare and re- structuring government. Final chapters offer an alternative view of the basis of good government. This book offers a unique survey and critique of the ideas and influence of an important branch of political thought and it links with market theories. It is vital reading for students of both politics and economics.
Public Opinion, Ideology and State Welfare (1985) provides a comprehensive explanation of the patterns of ideas about the welfare state held by both academics and by the general public. It argues that the crisis in the welfare state in the 1980s was misunderstood by most writers in the UK – both on the left and on the right. It presents an alternative account of current developments both in the welfare state and in popular and academic thinking. The author reviews the state of popular thinking about the welfare state, the development of welfare policy since the Second World War, and the 1980s crisis – using new evidence to support his arguments in all these areas. He also puts forward a theory of ideology, based on a reinterpretation of Marx, to explain popular attitudes and their political impact, and to give an account of the development of theoretical work in social policy.
Within an international framework, this work provides a fully comprehensive approach to the geographical coverage of elections. Numerous applications of ideas and concepts from human geography are incorporated into a new political context, illustrating the manner in which electoral patterns reflect and help produce the overall geography of a region or state. Discussions of various topics are well supported by numerous maps and diagrams which help clarify arguments and serve to define elections within their basic geographical context.