Written in a concise and accessible style by Michael Hill, this textprovides a coherent, thematic account of social policy in the modern world. Takes a comparative approach, considering the ways in which different countries approach social policies.

Preface. Glossary. Part I: Generalisations. 1. Introducing the Comparative Study of Social Policy. 2. Comparative Theory. 3. Policy Processes. Part II: Policy Areas. 4. Social Security. 5. Employment Policy. 6. Health Services. 7. Social Care. 8. Education. Part III: Social Policy Issues. 9. Social Divisions. 10. Gender divisions. 11. Ethnic divisions. 12. Ageing societies. 13. Conclusions: Global developments. References. Index

This textprovides a coherent, thematic account of social policy in the modern world. Taking a comparative perspective, it explores similarities and differences in the ways in which different countries approach social policy, both by looking at the broad characteristics of those policies and by examining variations in the ways in which key issues of social welfare are handled. The book is organised into three parts. The first part examines approaches to looking at social policy comparatively. The second examines individual policy areas, including social security, employment policy (in a chapter contributed by Margaret May), health services, social care and education. The third provides a comparative exploration of some key issues for the contemporary study of social policy, such as the implications of ageing societies and the impact of global forces.