Policy Press

General non-fiction

We publish serious non-fiction social commentary and debate for a wide audience. These high quality books are written by academics, professionals and other experts in an accessible way bringing key issues of social, political and cultural significance to a wide readership. These books have an impact: advancing knowledge, raising awareness and encouraging social change.

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Showing 97-108 of 124 items.

Getting By

Estates, Class and Culture in Austerity Britain

Lisa Mckenzie lived on the notorious St Ann’s estate in Nottingham for more than 20 years. Her ‘insider’ status enables us to hear the stories of its residents, often wary of outsiders, to give a unique account of life in poor communities in contemporary Britain.

Policy Press

Why We Can't Afford the Rich

Why we can’t afford the rich exposes the unjust and dysfunctional mechanisms that allow the top 1% to siphon off wealth produced by others. With an updated Afterword, Andrew Sayer shows how the rich worldwide have increased their ability to hide their wealth, create indebtedness and expand their political influence.

Policy Press

Father and Daughter

Patriarchy, Gender and Social Science

Father and daughter provides an unique ‘insider perspective’ on two key figures in twentieth-century British social science, combining biography of Richard Titmuss and autobiography by his daughter Ann Oakley.

Policy Press

Education under Siege

Why there Is a Better Alternative

Education under siege considers the English education system as it is and as it might be. It identifies the current system’s strengths and weaknesses and proposes radical changes to ensure fair education for all.

Policy Press

The Story of Baby P

Setting the Record Straight

This book is the first to tell what happened to 'Baby P', how the story was told by the media and its considerable impact on the child protection system in England. It makes a crucial contribution to the topic.

Policy Press

The Immigrant War

A Global Movement Against Discrimination and Exploitation

In this original, accessible book, Vittorio Longhi uses a global perspective to highlight the 'immigrant war and struggle for human rights, citizenship and equality', despite a policy vacuum towards immigration among governments of developed states.

Policy Press

Austerity Bites

A Journey to the Sharp End of Cuts in the UK

This timely book by award-winning journalist Mary O’Hara chronicles the true impact of austerity on people at the sharp end of the cuts, based on her 12-month journey around the country in 2012 and 2013 and fully updated for the paperback edition

Policy Press

The Transport Debate

This book is a highly readable introduction to the transport debate from two experts in the field. The book follows members of the Smith family as they uncover a wide array of transport issues. This lively and engaging approach will make the book ideal for a wide readership.

Policy Press

The Passionate Economist

How Brian Abel-Smith Shaped Global Health and Social Welfare

This is the first biography of Abel-Smith. It takes a historical perspective to analyse the development of health and social welfare systems since the 1950s, exposing the critical impact of long-running debates on poverty and state responsibility, especially in Britain.

Policy Press

The Future of Development

A Radical Manifesto

This book explains the origins of development and underdevelopment and offers a new vision for development, demystifying the statistics that international organizations use to measure development and introducing the alternative concept of buen vivir: the state of living well.

Policy Press

The Approaching Great Transformation

Toward a Liveable Post Carbon Economy

The Approaching Great Transformation is about the coming shift in how we act and think economically as the era of cheap oil comes to an end. It provides inspiration for those engaged in the ongoing global effort to move away from our dependency on fossil fuels and ceaseless growth, and towards a more sustainable, stable, and just system.

Policy Press

For Youth Workers and Youth Work

Speaking Out for a Better Future

This unique and passionate book calls for a cultural revolution within youth work. Doug Nicholls draws on the best of youth work's past to redesign the youth work map for today. No student or practitioner should miss it.

Policy Press