University of Chicago Press: New Titles in Sociology: Social Change, Social Movements, Political Sociology

Champions for Children

Bob Holman — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Many books have been written about Victorian child-care pioneers, but few biographical studies have been published about recent innovators in this crucial field. In the revised edition of this classic book, Bob Holman looks at the lives of six inspirational individuals who made significant contributions to the well-being of disadvantaged children over the course of the twentieth century. Providing an engaging account of his own life—which has been dedicated to improving the lives of children—he makes recommendations for policy and services geared toward tackling family and child poverty.

Rethinking Community Practice

Gabriel Chanan; Colin Miller — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Combining a reexamination of theory with practical tools and approaches, Rethinking Community Practice provides a new framework for community involvement strategies. Gabriel Chanan and Colin Miller show how this innovative but still amorphous movement can become more coherent, both on the ground and in public policy, by reforming community development, building neighborhood partnerships, measuring outcomes objectively, and synthesizing the best innovations of the past three decades. This is an important new perspective for local public service agencies, practitioners working in communities, and academics and students concerned with these fields.

Democracy under Attack

Malcolm Dean — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The ongoing News International phonehacking scandal has made abundantly clear that the media’s influence over politics is both immense and largely hidden from public scrutiny. As the scandal grows, a question arises: even when they stay on the right side of the law, to what extent do the media influence the political process? In Democracy under Attack, one of the media’s own—Malcolm Dean, the Guardian’s long-standing chief monitor of social policy—expertly indicts his fellow journalists, revealing the ways their distorted coverage undermines democracy.

Based on four decades of upperlevel UK government briefings and interviews with over one hundred senior policy makers, Democracy under Attack overflows with incisive observations and colorful stories, culminating in a damning list of the seven deadly sins of modern journalists. Dean’s long experience and insider status inform his detailed and disturbing account of news production in Britain, revealing the connections between what goes on in newsrooms, lobbyists’ offices, and Parliament as well as how those connections decisively shape government policy.

Managing Community Practice

Sarah Banks; Hugh Butcher; Andrew Orton; Jim Robertson — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The first edition of this book discussed the meaning, principles, and methods of managing community practice, focusing on the role and skills needed by managers. Since the first edition, there has been an increase in the structured involvement of communities in developing, delivering, and evaluating public policies and projects. This new edition updates all the chapters to address these recent developments and provides new case examples. It also includes new chapters on the manager’s role in community research and key challenges for the future.

Transforming Childcare and Listening to Families

Wendy Ball — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 05:00:00 GMT

This book draws on original research to consider the connections between childcare, family lives, and social policy. The research, conducted in Wales during the period following devolution, looks at the effect of policy on family well-being. Through interviews with mothers and fathers of young children, Wendy Ball analyzes day-to-day childcare arrangements, focusing on such factors as gender, social networks, material circumstances, and neighborhood resources. Ball identifies a significant gap between what matters to parents and what is currently being offered in policy and service provision.

Poverty and Insecurity

Tracy Shildrick; Robert MacDonald; Colin Webster; Kayleigh Garthwaite — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Poverty and Insecurity is the first book to examine the relationship between social exclusion, poverty, and the labor market. It challenges long-standing and dominant myths about the unemployed and the poor by exploring their lived realities. Work may be the best route out of poverty, but for many people employment does not solve recurrent poverty, with many individuals trapped in a low-pay, no-pay cycle between lowwage jobs and unemployment. Based on unique qualitative and longitudinal research, the book shows how poverty and insecurity have now become the defining features of working life for many.