Research

This book presents the first collection of Robert Pinker’s influential essays in one edited volume, discussing 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.

This collection brings together a diverse range of interpretivist perspectives to find fresh takes on the meanings of religion. Cutting across paradigms and traditions, experts from the UK, US, and India apply different approaches to engagement with beliefs and themes, including identity, ritual, and emotion.

This book examines how new digital technologies are reshaping and expanding the production and contestation of collective memory. It introduces innovative perspectives on the complex intersections and unexpected trends of memory formation and digitisation in contemporary China.

This book explores civil-military relations in Asia. With chapters on individual countries in the region, it provides a comprehensive account of the range of contemporary Asian practices under conditions of abridged democracy, soft authoritarianism or complete totalitarianism.

Rather than being seen simply as social policy implementors, in recent decades there has been recognition of the unique insights that social workers can bring to policy formulation. This book offers a theoretical framework for understanding why social workers engage in policy, and the implications for research, education and practice.

Using a mixed methods approach, this book examines the role played by regional organisations (ROs) following the occurrence of a coup d’état. It analyses which factors influence the strength of reactions demonstrated by ROs and explores which different post-coup solutions ROs pursue.

Presenting the complexities of doing planning work, with its moral and practical dilemmas, this rich ethnographic study analyses today’s planning scene through the stories of four diverse working environments.

The Greek island of Lesvos is frequently the subject of news reports on the refugee ‘crisis’. Drawing on her experiences as an activist in Lesvos refugee camps, Iliadou considers the impacts of EU deterrence policies and highlights the global responsibility for safeguarding refugees’ human rights.

This book examines policies on unpaid care in the UK since the 1990 NHS and Community Care Act, questioning why, after decades of policies and strategies, unpaid care remains in a marginal position in the social care system and in society more broadly, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This book is a step toward curating our existing knowledge in the emerging field of ‘disaster philanthropy’. It aims to build a robust base for future research, practice and public policy, whilst recognising that philanthropic responses to disasters are complex, conditional and subject to change.

While there has been an increase in scholarship on men, ageing and masculinities, little attention has been paid to the social relations of men in later life. This collection fills this gap by foregrounding older men’s experiences, providing new perspectives across the intersections of old age, ethnicities, class and sexual and gender identity.

Gender-based violence (GBV) and its relationship to rurality is a challenging topic and this edited collection provides an innovative analysis of GBV in rural communities. The book explores patterns of violence in addition to GBV education and prevention, concluding with best practices to positively affect the lives of survivors.