Economics and Society - Research

This book takes a critical political economy approach to understanding food insecurity in Canada and the UK. It provides a vision of a future whereby public control over the distribution of resources –including food – will eliminate food insecurity and other conditions that threaten health.

This book charts the rise and fall of the ‘sharing economy’, the controversial lobbying tactics used by the central companies and the backlash seen so far. It offers key policy recommendations and presents state-of-the-art knowledge around the past, present and future of the platform economy.

Impact investment is the latest trend in ethical finance, but what does it really mean and how is it practiced across different regions and organizations? This book explores the malleability of impact investing, and how it overlaps with the development sphere to give finance a new role.

Given the destructive consequences of capitalism, it has never been more urgent to reconsider democratic planning. But how can we construct this in realistic terms? This accessible work bridges current movements with academic and public discourse to offer an innovative and interdisciplinary approach to planning in the 21st century.

Drawing on the perspectives of women and children displaced from Ukraine, as well as local authority policy makers and service providers, this book provides a unique view of the direct and indirect consequences of war in Europe and identifies the best responses to these ‘wicked issues’.

Combining robust evidence with real-life stories, this book reveals the shocking impact of austerity policies on life expectancy and offers an optimistic vision of what can be done to restore life expectancy and reduce health inequality.

UK and US pension policy expects consistently informed decision-making in finance. Deviating from this is often deemed “irrational”, ignoring uncontrollable factors in individuals’ lives.

Challenging existing policy approaches, this book proposes a fresh perspective on rationality when it comes to financial policy and practices.

This book reflects on the spatially and socially uneven impacts of austerity and considers its future impacts on individuals, families and areas. In doing so, it offers a new critical analysis of the uneven geographies created by austerity in the post-welfare age.

The past two decades have seen a global financial crisis, increasing levels of inequality, a pandemic and the intensification of the climate emergency. As debate rages about how to ensure a fairer society, this book asks where we want to be in 20 years’ time and how we might get there.

Revisiting philosophical developments, historical figures and events, including Adam Smith, colonialism and modernity, this interdisciplinary book presents a ‘loving critique’ of society. It shows how learning to love better is key to releasing ourselves from the alienating grip of the market.

This timely book contributes to discussions about the nature of property and capital in an era dominated by neoliberalism and resource privatization.

Raising broad questions about the distribution of wealth and wealth inequality, this timely book will set the agenda in modern property theory.

Compelling and robust, this book provides an analysis of challenges in public service outsourcing and considers how to avoid failure in the future.

Examining how barriers to implementing this idea within the existing EU and UK legal frameworks may be addressed, the book formulates actionable policy proposals.