This volume identifies the main changes in the British state since 1945 and evaluates their consequences. It provides students and practitioners with an understanding of the changing public sector and the relationship between these changes and the wider conduct of politics.

Recent academic and political responses to the British state have been influenced by an atmosphere which is increasingly suspicious of hierarchies, bureaucracies and, indeed, the state itself. Tom Ling identifies the factors leading to this development and in the final chapter he evaluates the more important recent responses to the changed atmosphere.

The British State Since 1945 will be widely read by students and practitioners of British politics and public sector change. Its concern with policy-making and policy-implementation also makes it a valuable resource for students of social welfare and economic interventions. Through its evaluation and application of a variety of theoretical and analytical approaches to the question of the British State, this book will also be of interest to everyone concerned with more theoretical debates about the nature of the state and contemporary politics.

Reviews
"Combining case studies, general historical and institutional analysis and a sustained theoretical commentary, this book provides an excellent analysis of the postwar British state. It is an original and accessible study demonstrating how one really can "bring the state back in" to postwar economic, social and political analysis. This book should find a ready place on the reading lists of all those concerned with the development of the British state and postwar British politics." Bob Jessop, University of Lancaster

"A useful introduction ... The author combines a coherent conceptual overview with a careful exposition of such key issues as managerialsim, professionalism, and the rise of the 'new public management'. The book is to be recommended to an undergraduate audience." Political Studies

Book Information
ISBN 9780745611419
Author Tom Ling
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Polity Press
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Weight(grams) 490g
Dimensions(mm) 230mm * 153mm * 23mm