Social and Public Policy

Richard Humphries addresses the current failures of the adult social care system in the United Kingdom. The government's focus on social and economic progress and its unwillingness to invest in social care reform has resulted in policy neglect, unmanageable waiting lists, and a crisis within the care system. …Read more

John Kendall exposes the realities of police custody for BAME detainees and argues that recent attempts to stop police misconduct in custody have largely failed. …Read more

In keeping with the themes of this year's 'International Eradication of Poverty Day', Anna Tarrant considers the impact of poverty on fathers and looks at the ways society can support fatherhood and challenge negative stereotypes. …Read more

With pension ages rising, people are having to work longer and many workers need to change their jobs later in life. David Lain examines the difficulties surrounding these 'job transitions' and suggests that they often don't provide the freedom or support they claim. …Read more

For World Mental Health Day, this article draws attention to the global discrimination people experience because of their weight and the negative impact fatphobia has on a person's mental health. By addressing the stigma surrounding weight and body size, the authors argue for a weight-neutral perspective and highlight the need for radical social and policy change.…Read more

The Global Agenda for Social Justice has been produced by Policy Press since 2016 in collaboration with the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP). This article discusses how the publication aims to highlight the social problems faced across the Global North and Global South, with the aim of improving public policy and encouraging contributions from younger voices who share these goals. …Read more

Imogen Richards highlights how pandemic health policies and political rhetoric which blamed disenfranchised people for the spread of COVID-19 encouraged far-right conspiratorial narratives about the origins of the disease.…Read more

Gerbrand Tholen questions the belief that investment in education will give all graduates privileged opportunities to become high-wage earners. There is no evidence to support these claims which stem from an inflated belief in the role of higher education in the economy. …Read more

In their paper for Policy & Politics, Elizabeth Blakelock and John Turnpenny highlight how public participation in energy market regulation has failed due to inequalities of influence between different policy actors who pose a significant challenge to legitimacy.…Read more

Tracy Shildrick reviews 'The Richer, The Poorer How Britain Enriched the Few and Failed the Poor. A 200-Year History' by Stewart Lansley, a book that examines how Britain’s most powerful elites have enriched themselves at the expense of surging inequality, mass poverty and weakened social resilience.…Read more