When New Labour came to power in 1997, its leaders asked for it to be judged after ten years on its success in making Britain 'a more equal society'. As it approaches the end of an unprecedented third term in office, this book asks whether Britain has indeed moved in that direction. The highly successful earlier volume "A more equal society?" was described by Polly Toynbee as "the LSE's mighty judgement on inequality". Now this second volume by the same team of authors provides an independent assessment of the success or otherwise of New Labour's policies over a longer period. It provides: * consideration by a range of expert authors of a broad set of indicators and policy areas affecting poverty, inequality and social exclusion; * analysis of developments up to the third term on areas including income inequality, education, employment, health inequalities, neighbourhoods, minority ethnic groups, children and older people; * an assessment of outcomes a decade on, asking whether policies stood up to the challenges, and whether successful strategies have been sustained or have run out of steam; chapters on migration, social attitudes, the devolved administrations, the new Equality and Human Rights Commission, and future pressures. The book is essential reading for academic and student audiences with an interest in contemporary social policy, as well as for all those seeking an objective account of Labour's achievements in power.

About the Author
John Hills (1954-2020) was Richard Titmuss Professor of Social Policy and Co-Director of the International Inequalities Institute at the London School of Economics. He wrote extensively on inequality, public policy and the welfare state. He was a member of the Pensions Commission and Chair of the National Equality Panel for the Labour government and led a review of the measurement of fuel poverty for the Coalition government. He was knighted in 2013 for services to the development of social policy. Tom Sefton was formerly a research fellow at CASE, and now works for the Church Urban Fund. Kitty Stewart is a lecturer in social policy at LSE and a research associate at CASE.

Reviews
"If you want a deep and even-handed project to rethink egalitarianism for the current age, turn to Towards a more equal society? ... The academics reporting in this volume have conducted painstaking statistical analysis. There are no cartoons, diverting vignettes or uplifting quotations. But the narrative - cautious, nuanced, understated - is all the more persuasive for that. If we want a fairer society, let us start with the facts." Richard Reeves, The Observer



Book Information
ISBN 9781847422019
Author John Hills
Format Paperback
Page Count 432
Imprint Policy Press
Publisher Bristol University Press