Social Policy and Welfare Pluralism: Selected Writings of Robert Pinker

Description

Social policy and welfare pluralism presents the first collection of Robert Pinker's influential essays in one edited volume. It discusses the key concepts underpinning the study of social policy and the ways in which welfare theories and ideologies together with public expectations have shaped the political processes of policy making.

John Offer is Professor of Social Theory and Policy at Ulster University. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, and was Chair of the Editorial Board of Sociology from 2011 to 2015. His An Intellectual History of British Social Policy was published by Policy Press in 2006. Robert Pinker (1931-2021) held professorial posts at Goldsmiths College, Chelsea College and the London School of Economics. His academic publications included English Hospital Statistics, Social Theory and Social Policy, and The Idea of Welfare and he also wrote numerous essays on social policy matters from the early 1960s onwards.

"A remarkable collection of lectures and old and new essays by Professor Robert Pinker over the last several decades. John Offer does a masterful job curating Pinker's work in light of changing social and policy contexts and ideas. These lectures are as relevant today as they were before, with each chapter calling readers to challenge and rethink status quo. This is a must read for students of and anyone interested in social policy." Professor Ito Peng, University of Toronto "This eagerly anticipated volume exemplifies the significant role that Robert Pinker has played in enriching our understanding of social policy." Robert M Page, Reader in Democratic Socialism and Social Policy, University of Birmingham "A key thinker on the welfare state, Robert Pinker has been unjustly neglected. This collection of his essays demonstrates what an omission that has been and offers the opportunity to rectify it - one that should be taken by all those interested in the development of social policy." Professor Sir Julian Le Grand, London School of Economics "This book helps to rediscover a key writer from the first generation of welfare state theorists, and might induce young readers to have a closer look at his classic contributions to welfare state theory... The volume mixes old and more recent contributions, published and unpublished ones, including three newly written chapters. What Pinker has to say is amazingly topical and reads fresh. Moreover, Pinker is a brilliant stylist, so one can enjoy reading this volume." Journal of Social Policy (Cambridge University Press)