Textbooks
Policy Press publishes a range of textbooks and other learning resources across the social sciences to suit a variety of course and learning needs. These are designed with students in mind and include many accessible features – from case studies and chapter summaries, to revision questions and illustrative boxes and diagrams.
The majority of our textbooks are available as consumer eBooks as well as in print and we are happy to discuss bespoke options such as print and digital packages or creating unique collections to suit your course needs. Our content is available through the key institutional content providers VitalSource and Kortext in early 2015, allowing seamless integration with VLE platforms. If you would like to discuss how we could help with your course resources, please contact pp-sales@bristol.ac.uk.
For more information about our textbooks, please see Information for Lecturers.
Exploring the World of Social Policy
An International Approach
Authored by two highly respected and experienced academics, this book demonstrates the rewards of studying social policy from an international perspective by avoiding the constraints of a single-nation focus.
Exploring social policy in the 'new' Scotland
This is the first book specifically aimed at students that integrates the description and analysis of social policy in Scotland since devolution. It has been designed to support the delivery of social policy and related courses in Scotland itself but also to appeal to students on courses across the United Kingdom.
Exploring modern probation
Social theory and organisational complexity
This book explores the politics of modernisation and transformation of probation in the criminal justice system. It draws upon innovative social theories and moral perspectives to analyse changes in the probation service and makes a timely contribution to criminal justice and probation theory.
Evidence Based Policing
An Introduction
Examining what makes something evidence-based and not merely evidence-informed, this book unifies the voices of police practitioners, academics, and pracademics. It provides real world examples of evidence-based police practices and how police research can be created and applied in the field.
Evaluating Outcomes in Health and Social Care
An essential resource for students, this bestselling textbook includes the latest research findings and contains more tools, frameworks and international examples of best practice to aid practitioners to more effectively evaluate partnerships.
European societies
Mapping structure and change
This comprehensive textbook provides a thorough analysis of the nature of European societies across the expanded EU member states. It address a range of issues relating to Europeanisation and key topics such as inequality, migration, poverty, population and family, the labour market and education.
The Essential Guide to Planning Law
Decision-Making and Practice in the UK
Written in an accessible style, this comprehensive yet concise text book gives students essential background and contextual information supported by practical and applied discussion to help even those with no planning law knowledge engage in the subject and understand planning in the real world.
Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development in China
Hong Kong in Global Context
Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development uses Hong Kong to explore environmental economic and social development in China, providing concepts of sustainability, contexts for environmental policymaking, and key challenges in sustainable development.
Embodying identities
Culture, differences and social theory
This book shapes a new language of social theory that allows people to embody their differences with a sense of dignity and self-worth, enabling them to come to terms with the complexities of their lived identities in a post-modern globalised world.
Effective Writing for Social Work
Making a Difference
Drawing on both research and examples from practice, this book offers students an insight into the nature and challenges of writing in social work practice, enabling them to improve their writing skills.
Doing Reflexivity
An Introduction
This book provides social science researchers with both a strong rationale for the importance of thinking reflexively and a practical guide to doing it. The first book to build on Pierre Bourdieu's reflexive work, it combines academic analysis with practical examples and case studies. The book will be of interest to researchers and students.
Discursive analytical strategies
Understanding Foucault, Koselleck, Laclau, Luhmann
This exciting and innovative book fills a gap in the growing area of discourse analysis within the social sciences. It provides the analytical tools with which students and their teachers can understand the complex and often conflicting discourses across a range of social science disciplines.