Social mobility Books

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Book SynopsisBrutally honest and fearless, Poverty Safari is an unforgettable insight into modern Britain, and will change how you think about poverty.The Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller.Winner of the Orwell Prize.Named the most 'Rebellious Read of the 21st Century' in a Scottish Book Trust poll.Darren McGarvey has experienced poverty and its devastating effects first-hand. He knows why people from deprived communities all around Britain feel angry and unheard. And he wants to explain . . .So he invites you to come on a safari of sorts. But not the kind where the wildlife is surveyed from a safe distance. This book takes you inside the experience of poverty to show how the pressures really feel and how hard their legacy is to overcome.Arguing that both the political left and right misunderstand poverty as it is actually lived, McGarvey sets out what everybody – including himself – could do to change things.'Another cry of anger from a working class that feels the pain of a rotten, failing system. Its value lies in the strength it will add to the movement for change.' - Ken Loach, director of KesTrade ReviewPart memoir, part polemic, this is a savage, wise and witty tour-de-force. An unflinching account of the realities of systemic poverty, Poverty Safari lays down challenges to both the left and right. It is hard to think of a more timely, powerful or necessary book. -- J.K. RowlingNothing less than an intellectual and spiritual rehab manual for the progressive left. -- Irvine WelshAnother cry of anger from a working class that feels the pain of a rotten, failing system. Its value lies in the strength it will add to the movement for change. -- Ken LoachPoverty Safari is an important and powerful book. -- Nicola SturgeonPoverty Safari documents in vivid, piercing and frequently funny prose, the reality of growing up in Pollok and the consequences of a chaotic family life -- Stephen McGinty * Sunday Times *By his own account, Darren McGarvey’s first twenty-five years were a real-life version of Trainspotting . . . Poverty Safari [is] a painfully honest autobiographical study of deprivation and how society should deal with it . . . But what has made McGarvey such a particular figure of attention is his political message . . . [McGarvey] seems to offer an antidote to populist anger that transcends left and right . . . his urgently written, articulate and emotional book is a bracing contribution to the debate about how to fix our broken politics. * Financial Times *Poverty Safari is one of the best accounts of working-class life I have read. McGarvey is a rarity: a working-class writer who has fought to make the middle-class world hear what he has to say. -- Nick Cohen * Guardian *If The Road to Wigan Pier had been written by a Wigan miner and not an Etonian rebel, this is what might have been achieved. McGarvey’s book takes you to the heart of what is wrong with the society free market capitalism has created. -- Paul MasonThe man seems to be on his way to becoming one of the most compelling and original voices in Scotland’s, and maybe Britain’s, public debate. If Scotland’s underclass could speak in a single, articulate, authentic voice to communicate to the rest of us what it’s like to be poor, isolated, brutalised, lost, it would sound very much like this. * Scottish Daily Mail *Raw, powerful and challenging. -- Kezia DugdaleA blistering analysis of the issues facing the voiceless and the social mechanisms that hobble progress, all wrapped up in an unput-downable memoir. -- Denise MinaDescribes in unflinching detail the realities of growing up poor in Britain and sets out to challenge the various ways in which poverty is represented in the media and on both sides of the political divide * Guardian *A raw account of his own deprivation and addiction and a powerful political argument. * Guardian *The standout, authentic voice of a generation . . . the world is looking for eloquent voices like McGarvey's to explain things * Herald (Scotland) *Utterly compelling. -- Ian Rankin * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR AUTOBIOGRAPHY 2021 FINALIST FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR GENERAL NON-FICTION 2021 A New York Times Top Book of 2020 Chosen as a Guardian Book of 2020 A BBC Culture Best Books of 2020 Nominated for Good Reads Books of 2020 One of Time's Must-Read Books of 2020 'Unputdownable ... Hong's razor-sharp, provocative prose will linger long after you put Minor Feelings down' - AnOther, Books You Should Read This Year 'A fearless work of creative non-fiction about racism in cultural pursuits by an award-winning poet and essayist' - Asia House 'Brilliant, penetrating and unforgettable, Minor Feelings is what was missing on our shelf of classics ... To read this book is to become more human' - Claudia Rankine author of Citizen 'Hong says the book was 'a dare to herself', and she makes good on it: by writing into the heart of her own discomfort, she emerges with a reckoning destined to be a classic' - Maggie Nelson, author of The Argonauts What happens when an immigrant believes the lies they're told about their own racial identity? For Cathy Park Hong, they experience the shame and difficulty of "minor feelings". The daughter of Korean immigrants, Cathy Park Hong grew up in America steeped in shame, suspicion, and melancholy. She would later understand that these "minor feelings" occur when American optimism contradicts your own reality. With sly humour and a poet's searching mind, Hong uses her own story as a portal into a deeper examination of racial consciousness. This intimate and devastating book traces her relationship to the English language, to shame and depression, to poetry and artmaking, and to family and female friendship. A radically honest work of art, Minor Feelings forms a portrait of one Asian American psyche - and of a writer's search to both uncover and speak the truth.Trade ReviewWe are so not ready for what Cathy Park Hong does in Minor Feelings. And thankfully, she does not care whether we are ready or not. ... Her vision and execution are so breathtaking. And so genius. And so absolutely scary. Read it. Reread it. It will read you. -- Kiese Laymon, author of HeavyStudded with moments [full of] candor and dark humor shot through with glittering self-awareness." * the New York Times *Formidable ... [this] book bled a dormant discomfort out of me with surgical precision. -- Jia Tolentino * New Yorker *Lands like a sucker punch to the gut ... We learned so much from Minor Feelings, not least what a dazzling writer Cathy Park Hong is. * Independent, Best Essay Collections for International Women's Day *Hong lays bare the shame and confusion she felt in her youth as the daughter of Korean immigrants, and the way those feelings morphed as she grew older .. underscores essential themes of identity and otherness * Time *Minor Feelings is anything but minor. In these provocative and passionate essays, Cathy Park Hong gives us an incendiary account of what it means to be and to feel Asian American today ... Minor Feelings is absolutely necessary. -- Nguyen Thanh Viet, author of the SympathizerHong writes masterfully ... [she] names and illuminates issues of race and gender that long went unnamed, creating a blistering new handbook to the state of race in America. -- Adrienne Westenfeld * Esquire *A fierce catalogue of that which has not been named and yet won't be ignored. An electric intervention, a provocation and a renewal. -- Alexander Chee, author of 'How To Write An Autobiographical Novel'Tremendous. The entire time I read, I was hissing yes and yes and YESSSSS ... It felt like having someone sit me down in a chair and say your feelings are real and this is how we got here and here is a way out all at once. It broke my heart with relief." -- Mira Jacob, author of Good TalkHong's essays are wry and unapologetically direct, challenging how we think, how we communicate and what we too quickly assume to understand. Minor Feelings is a sharp and urgent exploration of those hard-to-name sensations that govern racial consciousness. * Refinery 29 *In Minor Feelings, Cathy Park Hong has turned a sharp, yet tender gaze on her own life and contradictions, all while simultaneously probing and tearing apart with relentless exactitude accepted (and often lazy and ill-informed) notions of what it means to be Asian-American in the 21st Century. The book is also surprisingly funny and full of stories and characters, including Hong herself, who kept me turning the pages. It was one of my favorite reads this year. -- Attica Locke author of Heaven My Home and writer for Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)Thought-provoking -- Curtis Sittenfeld

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Book SynopsisFeatured in the Financial Times Best Books of the Year 2020 The evidence is rigorously marshalled and the...solutions equally clearly illuminated. A definitive study. - Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator, The Financial Times In this vital new book, Britain′s first Professor of Social Mobility Lee Elliot Major and Stephen Machin, reveal the causes of the UK’s low social mobility, explain why it′s getting worse, and outline how we reverse this worrying trend, before it’s too late. It covers the history of social mobility in the UK, explores international comparisons, analyses the recent ‘dark age’ of declining absolute mobility, and investigates issues such as how family traits affect inter-generational mobility. The authors then outline what it is we should do about this pressing issue. Calling for a fundamental shift in debates about social mobility and arguing that only by establishing general principles of fairness in society can we agree the major policy reforms that can make Britain a more mobile and just society for all.Trade ReviewThe authors are two well-known British experts on the economics of social mobility. In this short, but comprehensive, survey, they illuminate the relatively poor UK record on mobility and what might be done to improve it. The evidence is rigorously marshalled and the complexities (and political difficulty) of solutions equally clearly illuminated. A definitive study. -- Martin WolfAn assured and detailed book bringing together the latest research, wide-ranging recommendations for practice and authoritative critiques of conventional wisdom. It’s a solid grounder for those new to the topic and has plenty of fresh perspective for readers who know the field well. -- Sam BaarsWritten by two of the leading authors on social mobility in the U.K., this book is an excellent and accessible entry point into a large and complex academic literature. It covers enormous ground, from technical issues about how to measure social mobility, to reasons for the historical trends in U.K. post war social mobility. It also puts the U.K. in an international context and suggests concrete policy solutions for the future. A must read for policymakers! Written in an engaging way, I can see it will become a primer on social mobility for years to come. -- Anna Vignoles, Professor, Faculty of Education, University of CambridgeTable of Contents1. Introduction 2. Background 3. What Do We Know About Social Mobility? 4. What Should We Do About Social Mobility? 5. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisFeatured in the Financial Times Best Books of the Year 2020 The evidence is rigorously marshalled and the...solutions equally clearly illuminated. A definitive study. - Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator, The Financial Times In this vital new book, Britain′s first Professor of Social Mobility Lee Elliot Major and Stephen Machin, reveal the causes of the UK’s low social mobility, explain why it′s getting worse, and outline how we reverse this worrying trend, before it’s too late. It covers the history of social mobility in the UK, explores international comparisons, analyses the recent ‘dark age’ of declining absolute mobility, and investigates issues such as how family traits affect inter-generational mobility. The authors then outline what it is we should do about this pressing issue. Calling for a fundamental shift in debates about social mobility and arguing that only by establishing general principles of fairness in society can we agree the major policy reforms that can make Britain a more mobile and just society for all.Trade ReviewThe authors are two well-known British experts on the economics of social mobility. In this short, but comprehensive, survey, they illuminate the relatively poor UK record on mobility and what might be done to improve it. The evidence is rigorously marshalled and the complexities (and political difficulty) of solutions equally clearly illuminated. A definitive study. -- Martin WolfAn assured and detailed book bringing together the latest research, wide-ranging recommendations for practice and authoritative critiques of conventional wisdom. It’s a solid grounder for those new to the topic and has plenty of fresh perspective for readers who know the field well. -- Sam BaarsWritten by two of the leading authors on social mobility in the U.K., this book is an excellent and accessible entry point into a large and complex academic literature. It covers enormous ground, from technical issues about how to measure social mobility, to reasons for the historical trends in U.K. post war social mobility. It also puts the U.K. in an international context and suggests concrete policy solutions for the future. A must read for policymakers! Written in an engaging way, I can see it will become a primer on social mobility for years to come. -- Anna Vignoles, Professor, Faculty of Education, University of CambridgeTable of Contents1. Introduction 2. Background 3. What Do We Know About Social Mobility? 4. What Should We Do About Social Mobility? 5. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Providing detailed economic analysis of the effects of sticker price, tuition discounts, merit and need-based financial aid, and institutional competition, Levine contends that the overall impact from these multiple factors is to limit access to higher education for lower-income students. He takes specific aim at the problem of opaque financial aid and how it serves to heighten inequities in higher education. And he offers an excellent discussion of the pros and cons of two major policies for improving access to college—the various versions of 'free college' and a significant increase (read: doubling) of Pell Grants." * Forbes *"A Problem of Fit [examines] the pricing system in American higher education, exploring the market factors that contribute to its problems....Levine [addresses] barriers to higher education beyond those directly related to pricing, such as excessive levels of student loans, the complexity of the college application process, and difficulties in understanding financial aid award letters." * Journal of Economic Literature *"Levine’s text is a quick and engaging read that we highly recommend. In each chapter, he does a fantastic job of identifying what matters for an audience’s understanding of these complex, interrelated issues and communicates them in a way that is approachable and allows readers to connect the pieces of this big puzzle. Levine’s text captures a high level of nuance that escapes most of the public and many policymakers. As such, this should be a required reading for higher education finance courses and new legislator orientations alike." * Teachers College Record *"A Problem of Fit is an interesting book that offers several reasonable policy fixes for the college pricing system. The author makes his case with enough technical data to satisfy any policy wonk and presents cogent analyses accessible to the lay reader." * Monthly Labor Review (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) *"A Problem of Fit is an interesting book that offers several reasonable policy fixes for the college pricing system. The author makes his case with enough technical data to satisfy any policy wonk and presents cogent analyses accessible to the lay reader. I would recommend the book to anyone concerned with college pricing, as well as to people interested in learning more about the higher education market." * Monthly Labor Review *"If you want to understand the nuances of college affordability, pricing, and finance, this book is for you. Levine has taken an issue that impacts the majority of families going through the college search process and deconstructed its complexity. Whether you are a student, policy maker, or higher education practitioner, this is an important read." -- Angel B. Pérez, CEO, National Association for College Admission Counseling"Levine combines accessible economic explanations with cogent policy recommendations to frame the challenges facing students and families navigating the complex world of college financing. His forceful critique focuses on analysis and solutions rather than anger and blame, forwarding ideas about targeted new funding and improved communication with the potential to help students enroll at the institutions that will be the best fit for them." -- Sandy Baum, Center on Education Data and Policy at the Urban InstituteTable of ContentsPreface Introduction Chapter 1: The Institution of Financial Aid Chapter 2: An Econ 101 View of College Pricing and Financial Aid Chapter 3: The Real Cost of College and Its Worth Chapter 4: Pricing Transparency Chapter 5: Addressing Affordability Chapter 6: Fixing the Pricing System in Higher Education Chapter 7: Other Barriers to College Access Conclusion Acknowledgments References Index

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Book Synopsis'Intensely readable... A stimulating and necessary redress' David Kynaston, SpectatorPoliticians say social mobility is real... this book proves otherwise.From servants' children who became clerks in Victorian Britain, to managers made redundant by the 2008 financial crash, travelling up or down the social ladder has been a fact of British life for more than a century. Drawing on hundreds of personal stories, Snakes and Ladders tells the hidden history of how people have really experienced that social mobility in both directions. It shows how a powerful elite on the top rungs have clung to their perch, as well as introducing us to the unsung heroes who created more room at the top. As we face political crisis after crisis, Snakes and Ladders argues that only by creating greater opportunities for everyone to thrive can we ensure the survival of our society.'A fascinating, important book' Mail on Sunday'A trove of stories of human hope and disappointment' New Statesman'Fascinating... A rich and well-observed historical account' Financial TimesTrade ReviewThe great strength of Selina Todd's Snakes and Ladders . . . is the richness of her presentation of it as a lived experience, whether upwards or downwards . . . intensely readable . . . a stimulating and necessary redress -- David Kynaston * Spectator *In this fascinating, important book, Professor Selina Todd shows us that 'levelling up' has always been a far more chancy, even unrewarding, business than we like to think -- Kathryn Hughes * Mail on Sunday *Structured around the personal stories of people who have experienced upward social mobility over the past 140 years or so . . . The social history that Todd deals with here is fascinating . . . The pandemic, as she argues, has reminded us that the jobs we reward are often not those that matter most. So instead of (or as well as) agonising about who gets to join the elite, we need to redefine the elite itself -- David Aaronovich * The Times *Snakes and Ladders arrives at a moment of particular relevance . . . this pandemic is an opportunity to look at what is "essential" in work and to reward it appropriately. Society is only as mobile as its structures allow. And it would be no bad thing if affording status to all strata of society became more important than "getting ahead" -- Andrew Anthony * Observer *Fascinating... [Snakes & Ladders is a] rich and well-observed historical account -- David Willetts * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisA fresh take on social class from the experts behind the BBC''s ''Great British Class Survey''.Why does social class matter more than ever in Britain today?How has the meaning of class changed?What does this mean for social mobility and inequality?In this book Mike Savage and the team of sociologists responsible for the Great British Class Survey look beyond the labels to explore how and why our society is changing and what this means for the people who find themselves in the margins as well as in the centre.Their new conceptualization of class is based on the distribution of three kinds of capital - economic (inequalities in income and wealth), social (the different kinds of people we know) and cultural (the ways in which our leisure and cultural preferences are exclusive) - and provides incontrovertible evidence that class is as powerful and relevant today as it''s ever been.Trade ReviewThis endlessly fascinating study... is indispensable if you want to understand modern Britain -- Rod Liddle * Sunday Times *A fascinating read, going deep into the interplay between wealth, culture and society, and making the strong case that traditional class divisions don't really help us to understand these forces any more . . . anybody in the UK discussing class henceforth will need to get this down of the shelf -- Hugo Rifkind * Times *Convincing and fascinating . . . this book marshals impressive evidence to show how inequality is increasing. -- Robert Colvile * Telegraph *There's something for everybody here . . . it will start many conversations * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisOffers an introduction to the latest research on political inequality and its relationship to economic inequalities in North America and Western Europe. Explores why economic inequality has risen in all affluent democracies, yet governments have done little to compensate low- and middle-income citizens.Trade Review'Why have advanced democracies so broadly failed to address the growth of economic inequality? This rich volume brings together a wide range of leading scholars to explore the roles of citizens, elites, government policymakers, and the mass media. This is a vital contribution at a time when many citizens are disillusioned with their governments and, perhaps, with democracy itself.' Martin Gilens, University of California, Los Angeles'Based on cutting-edge research by the leading experts in the field, this book tackles the important political puzzle: why did the redistributive efforts of many governments decline over recent decades even as income inequality increased? Its wide-ranging and illuminating essays will be of interest to everyone concerned about issues of inequality.' Peter A. Hall, Harvard University'Why don't democratic governments respond to what their citizens want? Unequal Democracies fills a massive lacuna in the literature with nuanced answers and sophisticated analyses of cross-national evidence. By distinguishing opinions, preferences, and interests and then considering how they are formed and represented by institutions, the authors transform our understanding of how to promote more equitable policies and polities.' Margaret Levi, Stanford University'This volume offers a set of crucial contributions to our understanding of the political consequences of rising inequality. The editors have put together a truly impressive group of scholars who provide state-of-the-art analysis of the political puzzles linking unequal economies to unequal democracies. A must-read for students of comparative politics.' David Rueda, University of OxfordTable of Contents1. The political puzzle of rising inequality Noam Lupu and Jonas Pontusson; Part I. Government Responsiveness: 2. Unequal responsiveness and government partisanship in Northwest Europe Ruben Berge Mathisen, Wouter Schakel, Svenja Hense, Lea Elsässer, Mikael Persson and Jonas Pontusson; 3. Democracy, class interests, and redistribution: what do the data say? Mads Andreas Elkjær and Torben Iversen; 4. Measuring political inequality Larry M. Bartels; 5. Why so little sectionalism in the contemporary United States? The under-representation of place-based economic interests Jacob S. Hacker, Paul Pierson and Sam Zacher; Part II. Political Inequality and Representation: 6. On the mechanisms behind unequal representation in legislatures Michael Becher and Daniel Stegmueller; 7. How do the educated govern? Evidence from Spanish mayors Marta Curto-Grau and Aina Gallego; 8. Working-class officeholding in the OECD Nicholas Carnes and Noam Lupu; 9. Political participation and unequal representation: Addressing the endogeneity problem Ruben Berge Mathisen and Yvette Peters; Part III. Voters and Demand for Redistribution: 10. Fairness reasoning and demand for redistribution Charlotte Cavaillé; 11. The news media and the politics of inequality in advanced democracies J Scott Matthews, Timothy Hicks and Alan M. Jacobs; 12. Deflecting from racism: local talk radio conversations about the murder of George Floyd Katherine J. Cramer; 13. Class and social policy representation Macarena Ares and Silja Häusermann; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisAmid pervasive and toxic language, and equally ugly ideas, suggesting that migrants are invaders and human mobility is an aberration, one might imagine that human beings are naturally sedentary: that the desire to move from one's birthplace is abnormal. As the contributors to this volume attest, however, migration and human mobility are part and parcel of the world we live in, and the continuous flow of people and exchange of cultures are as old as the societies we have built together. Together, the chapters in this volume emphasise the diversity of the origins, consequences and experiences of human mobility in the Middle East. From multidisciplinary perspectives and through case studies, the contributors offer the reader a deeper understanding of current as well as historical incidences of displacement and forced migration. In addition to offering insights on multiple root causes of displacement, the book also addresses the complex challenges of host-refugee relations, migrants' integration and marginalisation, humanitarian agencies, and the role and responsibility of states. Cross-cutting themes bind several chapters together: the challenges of categories; the dynamics of control and contestation between migrants and states at borders; and the persistence of identity issues influencing regional patterns of migration.Trade Review'This collection is both a timely and significant contribution to our understanding of what makes movement and mobility a defining feature of contemporary life in the Middle East.' -- Dawn Chatty, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and Forced Migration, University of Oxford'Babar has skillfully assembled an impressive collection of case studies on voluntary and involuntary mobility in the Middle East. A valuable contribution to the debate on how states and non-state actors instrumentalise migration, displacement and statelessness.' -- Abdulhadi Khalaf, Professor of Sociology, Lund University'This volume is timely and essential as more borders harden, economies and societies struggle with refugees, and war continues to cause human suffering in the Middle East. An excellent read and a must-have resource for scholars in the field.' -- Jane Bristol-Rhys, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Zayed University Abu Dhabi, and author of 'Emirati Women'

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Book Synopsis''Pithy and provoking, spiced with the personal'' Hilary MantelLynsey Hanley grew up part of the ''respectable working class''. At university, she discovered that social mobility is not all it seems. This book is about what it means to cross class divides, what we leave behind in order to get on, and how class affects all of us today.''There is fury contained within the pages and between the lines of Respectable ... intelligent and important'' Colin Grant, Guardian''Honest, brave and moving'' Kate Pickett, co-author of The Spirit Level''Lynsey Hanley is such a crucial voice. When she writes about class, she is writing about lived experience'' Owen Jones, New Statesman''Hanley vividly describes the risky, lonely journey she undertook from one class to another ... She is tremendous at detailing her personal transition'' Craig Brown, Mail on SundayTrade ReviewAmbitious, impressive... There is fury contained within the pages and between the lines of Respectable... an intelligent and important book that deserves to be widely read -- Colin Grant * Guardian *Hanley vividly describes the "risky, lonely journey" she undertook from one class to another... She is tremendous at detailing her personal transition -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Why is class still so central to the experience of living in Britain? It is an urgent question, evaded through a kind of collective shame, but Lynsey Hanley approaches it with wit and passion. Respectable is pithy and provoking, spiced with the personal but solidly grounded in a lifetime's experience of analysing the world around her. It is one of those valuable books that enables the reader to re-think her past and re-experience her own life. -- Hilary MantelHonest, brave and moving, Respectable opens up the emotional experience of navigating across class boundaries in an unequal world. -- Kate Pickett, co-author of The Spirit Level

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Downey challenges the ideas that schools are engines of inequality and that schools can be effectively transformed to substantially reduce inequality. Having completed some of the most influential recent work on the topic, he shows that most of the inequalities we observe are rooted in skills children do and do not possess on their very first day of school., and the evidence suggests that For the most part, schools keep differences from getting bigger. Schools can only get you part of the way If you want to have to a more equal opportunity structure for kids. If equality of opportunity is your goal, then you have to invest more heavily in solutions outside rather than inside of schools."--Eric Grodsky, University of Wisconsin-Madison "This book is a must-read for anyone interested in education equality and policy. How Schools Really Matter offers a much-needed corrective to the assumption that student achievement gaps are the product of woefully inadequate schools and teachers. Downey shows that schools compensate for out of school inequality much more than we give them credit for."--Janice Aurini, University of Waterloo "Downey's book takes on the widely held belief that our public schools are failing our neediest children, most especially children of low-income background. Critics on the left invoke underfunded schools, underqualified and undermotivated teachers, and hyper-segregation; for those on the right, and some on the left, it is the opening for charter schools and vouchers. Wrong, says Downey: our schools, on the whole, lift up poor children, not hold them back, implicating instead inequities experienced over the preschool years and in children's home lives outside of school. Read this important book with an open mind. It could very well change how you--how we all--think about schools and inequality." --Karl Alexander, co-editor of The Summer Slide: What We Know and Can Do About Summer Learning Loss "It's not often that a publication changes the way we think the world works. Communicated in remarkably clear prose, Downey's incisive empirically based analysis reveals that inequality increases significantly when children are out of, not while they are in, school. How School's Really Matter is an eye-opener, as well as a call to action--that is, a more focused endeavor to reduce the large disparities in children's social and physical environments, including those of their early childhood." --William Julius Wilson, Harvard UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction Part I: Why We Shouldn’t Be Blaming Schools So Much Chapter 1: The Forgotten 87 Percent Herbert Walberg’s outrageous claim Trying to understand how schools matter when you have an eight-hundred-pound gorilla problem Chapter 2: Chickens, Eggs, and Achievement Gaps When do achievement gaps emerge? Scaling matters Why the early years are so important Relative deprivation matters too Conclusion Chapter 3: One Very Surprising Pattern about Schools Soccer coaches and schools Trying to understand how schools matter Seasonal comparisons What do we learn from the few studies that have collected data seasonally? Conclusion Chapter 4: And Now a Second, Even More Surprising Pattern School achievement, growth, and impact Objections Conclusion Part II: A New Way to Think about Schools and Inequality Chapter 5: More Like Reflectors than Generators Schools generating inequality Two examples of schools reflecting broader society What about those high-flying schools? Underestimating early childhood Conclusion: A diminished role for schools, an enhanced role for early childhood Chapter 6: As Helping More than Hurting Schools as compensatory: The weak form Schools as compensatory: The strong form Conclusion Chapter 7: A Frida Sofia Problem Schools and inequality: Stuck within the traditional framing Our value for limited government Fear of “blaming the victim” Gender and the vulnerability of schools Conclusion Chapter 8: The Costly Assumption Rich guys trying to reduce achievement gaps The never-ending quest to reform schools The great distractor So what should we do? Acknowledgments Appendix A: The Early Childhood Longitudinal Datasets (ECLS-K:1998 and ECLS-K:2010) Appendix B: Limitations of Seasonal Comparison Studies Appendix C: How Should Social Scientists Study Schools and Inequality? Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisThis book puts to the test the prominent claim that social class has declined in importance in an era of affluence, choice and the waning of tradition. Arguing against this view, this study vividly uncovers the multiple ways in which class stubbornly persists.Table of ContentsIntroduction: From Affluence to Reflexivity PART I: THEORETICAL PRELIMINARIES Reflexivity and its Discontents Conceptualizing Class and Reconceptualizing Reflexivity PART II: SEARCHING FOR THE REFLEXIVE WORKER Educational Reproduction Today Topographical Trajectories Distinction and Denigration 'Class' as Discursive and Political Construct Conclusion: Rigid Relations through Shifting Substance Appendix: The Search Process

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Book SynopsisFlapjacks and Feudalism: Social Mobility and Class in The Archers is an excavation into the family and class politics found in the clans of the residents of Ambridge, in BBC Radio 4's The Archers. A whole section of the book is devoted to 'The Fall of the House of Aldridge', with Brian's ethical misdemeanours and fall from grace, looking at how Brian could have hidden his scandals and changed the impressions surrounding him as a 'feckless farmer'. Another section sees the parenting skills, or complete lack of them, of the Ambridge clans put on trial, and used to predict the future leaders of Ambridge. Chapters in the book discuss the power of family and community networks, the oppression of the Grundys by the lords of the manor, and Emma Grundy's housing woes and the importance of housing in the success and security of those in the village. This book explores how far housing, intergenerational wealth, skills and access to employment shape life chances of characters and shows that, perhaps more than anywhere else, its not what you know but who you know.Trade ReviewThe authors combine a refreshing academic rigour with an obvious (though not uncritical) love for the programme. The intriguing result puts Archers stories and characters into their real-world context – with a lot more laughs along the way than one might expect. -- Keri Davies,Long-serving The Archers scriptwriterAnother intelligent and insightful exploration of The Archers from the Academic Archers team. This cornucopia of thought-provoking standpoints offers readers the chance to reconsider what lies beneath the social system that permeates this everyday story of country folk. -- Charlotte Martin, aka 'Susan Carter', The ArchersBeing an Archers listener is a way of life, and this fascinating book plonks Ambridge exactly where it should be; right at the heart of the real world. Well-researched and beautifully written, it's the academic backbone of a much-loved series. -- Lucy Freeman, Writer and BroadcasterTable of ContentsPreface: The Haves and Have Nots: Wealth and Value in Ambridge; Cara Courage and Nicola Headlam Section 1 – It’s who you know, and what you know about them Chapter 1. The Grundys and their Oppressors; Keith Flett Chapter 2. Two-in/one-out: network power, kin-keeping and ‘airtight’ distinction; Nicola Headlam Section 2 – The Fall of The House of Aldridge, the Rise of the Oppressed Grundys? Chapter 3. ‘If you have security, Ed, that is everything’: Deconstructing ‘security’ as a buffer against life’s challenges; Lalage Cambell Chapter 4. ‘Feeding the Horses’: Modern Slavery, the dark side of construction hidden in plain sight in Ambridge; Nicola Headlam Chapter 5. Borsetshire Businessman or Feckless Farmer?; Christine Narramore Chapter 6. What to do when you’re no longer Borsetshire’s Businessperson of the Year or How to handle a scandal; Olivia Vandyk Section 3 - Family function and dysfunction Chapter 7. Contemporary social problems in a rural setting: using The Archers in Social Work Education; Helen Burrows Chapter 8. Academic Archers Assembly: Putting the parents on trial; Cara Courage Chapter 9. Accent and Identity in Ambridge: The link between spoken language and identity; Rob Drummond Chapter 10. ‘We Should have called him Damien’: A discussion of the impact of Henry Archer’s early years on potential crimes of the future; Nicola Maxfield Chapter 11. Fear, fecklessness and flapjacks: Imagining Ambridge’s offenders; Charlotte Bilby Section 4 – Housing and the Ambridge Fairy Chapter 12. Rich Relatives or Ambridge Fairy?: Patronage and expectation in Ambridge housing pathways; Claire Astbury Chapter 13. Staying in the Spare Room: Social Connectedness and Household Co-residence in The Archers; Paula Fomby Chapter 14. Can’t Afford The Laurels?: Care Provision in Ambridge in 2041; Ruth Heilbronn and Rosalind Janssen Section 5 - It takes a village… Chapter 15. Parents, siblings, and the pursuit of power: Predicting the future leaders of Ambridge; Timothy Vercellotti Chapter 16. ‘From the moment those two joined the committee it’s been grunge bands, sumo wrestlers and souffle competitions’: What Ambridge’s civil society says about UK politics in 2019; Amy Saunders Chapter 17. A divided village: A narrative study using a theoretical lens of speculative ontology; Maggie Bartlett

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Book SynopsisWe are living in the most remarkable and dangerous times. Globally, the richest 1% have never held a greater share of world wealth, while the share of most of the other 99% has collapsed in the last five years. In this fully rewritten and updated edition of Injustice, Dorling offers hope of a more equal society.Trade Review"The book is accessible: clearly written and eloquently argued, with up-to-date data from the UK and US used to back up claims...a call to action, with practical steps towards eradicating inequality." Research Matters"Dorling's text is an invaluable reference that anybody and everybody concerned with inequality, social (in)justice, and the underside to the world in which we live ought have on their bookshelf." The Marx and Philosophy Review of Books"This updated edition of Dorling's book will remind us - if we needed reminding - that injustice has not gone away, and that in many ways it is getting worse; that there are things that we can do about it; and that we need to do those things." Citizen's Income Trust"A rallying point for a different vision of society, one in which elitism is replaced by equality, exclusion and prejudice by acceptance, greed by selflessness, and despair by confidence. It is only in such an environment that individual fulfilment, regardless of position in the social order, and so desperately craved but so rarely realised in capitalist society, is available to all. What, then, are we waiting for?" The Oxford Left Review"Rich insights into how prejudice, presumption and a paucity of regard for our fellow human beings reinforces poverty as well as privilege." David Cay Johnston, journalist and author, Pulitzer Prize winner"Superb and invaluable ammunition in the fight against inequality and injustice" Owen Jones, author and Guardian columnist"Think twice before reading this book – you may well become an activist against social injustice, inequality and the exploitation of labour. Danny Dorling gives us words that are weapons." Ken Loach, director"Dorling’s analysis is quietly, devastatingly persuasive. Once you’ve read him you have to reassess how you live. That’s an amazing gift." Peter Florence, Director of the Hay Festival"In this new edition of his seminal Injustice, Dorling’s unique combination of moral passion and analytical rigour made my heart sing." David Marquand, Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford University"Excellent compendium....[from] one of the great researchers on the condition of our time." Tribune"Powerful sentences and carefully-curated evidence frame critically-important thoughts on how we got here and how things could be different." Jamie Goodwin-White, University of California"Dorling has given us a guide through the dark, twisted and changing forest of injustice. A must-read for anyone fighting for justice." Dr Faiza Shaheen, Head of Inequality, Save the ChildrenTable of ContentsLetter from America: commentary by Sam Pizzigati; Foreword by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett; 1. Introduction; The beliefs that uphold injustice; The five faces of social inequality; A pocket full of posies; 2. Inequality: the antecedent and outcome and of injustice; Inevitability of change: what we do now we could all have enough?; Injustice rising out of the ashes of social evils; So where do we go from here; 3. 'Elitism is efficient': new educational divisions; The ‘new delinquents’: those most harmed by elitism, a seventh of all children; IQism: the underlying rationale for the growth of elitism; Apartheid schooling: from garaging to hot-housing; Putting on a pedestal: superhuman myths; The 1950s: from ignorance to arrogance; 4. 'Exclusion is necessary': excluding people from society; Indebted: those most harmed by exclusion, a sixth of all people; Geneticism: the theories that exacerbate social exclusion; Segregation: of community from community; Escapism: of the rich behind walls; The 1960s: the turning point from inclusion to exclusion; 5. 'Prejudice is natural': a wider racism; Indenture: labour for miserable reward, a fifth of all adults; Darwinism: thinking that different incentives are needed; Polarisation: of the economic performance of regions; Inheritance: the mechanism of prejudice; The 1970s: the new racism; 6. 'Greed is good': consumption and waste; Not part of the programme: just getting by, a quarter of all households; Economics: the discipline with so much to answer for; Gulfs: between our lives and our worlds; Celebrity: celebrated as a model of success; The 1980s: changing the rules of trade; 7. ‘Despair is inevitable’: health and wellbeing; Anxiety: made ill through the way we live, a third of all families; Competition: proposing insecurity as beneficial; Culture: the international gaps in societal wellbeing; Bird-brained thinking: putting profit above caring; The 1990s: birth of mass medicating; 8. Conspiracy, consensus, conclusion. No great conspiracy; Using the vote; Coming to the end; Injustice deepens; What to do;

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Book SynopsisDeepening inequalities and wider processes of demographic, economic and social change are altering how people across the Global North move between homes and neighbourhoods over the lifespan. This book presents a life course framework for understanding how the changing dynamics of people's lives influence their residential experiences.Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. Housing: a life course perspective 3. Households and families 4. Learning and training 5. Employment and money 6. Health, well-being and care 7. Changing places 8. Understanding housing and life course dynamics

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Book SynopsisWhat are the challenges for the current generation of graduate millennials? The role of universities and the changing nature of the graduate labour market are constantly in the news, but less is known about the experiences of those going through it. This book traces the transition to the graduate labour market of a cohort of middle-class and working-class young people who were tracked through seven years of their undergraduate and post-graduation lives. Using personal stories and voices, the book provides fascinating insights into the group’s experience of graduate employment and how their life-course transitions are shaped by their social backgrounds and education. Critically evaluating current government and university policies, it shows the attitudes and values of this generation towards their hopes and aspirations on employment, political attitudes and cultural practices.Trade Review"An insightful read that will captivate the interest of anyone concerned with how inequalities continue to affect graduates’ transitions from university to the labour market" Educational ReviewTable of Contents1. Graduate Success and Graduate Lives 2. Moving on Up: Researching the Lives and Careers of Young Graduates 3. London Calling: Being Mobile and Mobilizing Capitals 4. ‘There’s No Place Like Home’: Graduate Mobilities and Spatial Belonging 5. Jobs for the Boys? Gender, Capital and Male-Dominated Fields 6. Intersections of Class and Gender in the Making of ‘Top Boys’ in the Finance Sector 7. Following Dreams and Temporary Escapes: The Impacts of Cruel Optimism 8. Lucky Breaks? Unplanned Graduate Pathways and Fateful Outcomes 9. Conclusion: The Making of Graduate Lives

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Tidings of a shrinking middle class in one part of the world and its expansion in another absorb our attention, but seldom do we question the category itself. We Have Never Been Middle Class proposes that the middle class is an ideology. Tracing this ideology up to the age of financialisation, it exposes the fallacy in the belief that we can all ascend or descend as a result of our aspirational and precautionary investments in property and education. Ethnographic accounts from Germany, Israel, the United States and elsewhere illustrate how this belief orients us, in our private lives as much as in our politics, toward accumulation-enhancing yet self-undermining goals. This meshing of anthropology and critical theory elucidates capitalism by way of its archetypal actors.

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Book SynopsisSince the Great Recession hit in 2008, the 1% has only grown richer while the rest find life increasingly tough. The gap between the haves and the have-nots has turned into a chasm. While the rich have found new ways of protecting their wealth, everyone else has suffered the penalties of austerity. But inequality is more than just economics. Being born outside the 1% has a dramatic impact on a person's potential: reducing life expectancy, limiting educational and work prospects, and even affecting mental health. What is to be done? In Inequality and the 1% leading social thinker Danny Dorling lays bare the extent and true cost of the division in our society and asks what have the super-rich ever done for us? He shows that it is the 1% that threatens us with the most harm and why we must urgently redress the balanceTrade ReviewAn incredibly thoughtful book. With wit, expertise and a necessary anger, Danny Dorling makes the case for a 'slow revolution' against the concentrated wealth of the top 1%, who threaten our national and global well-being. Read him. Enjoy him. Join him. -- Melissa Benn, author of Life LessonsDorling asks questions about inequality that fast become unswervable: can we afford the superrich? Can society prosper? Can we realize our potential? -- Zoe Williams, GuardianA clear and readable account of the damage wrought by extreme inequality. This is a powerful book. -- Kate E. Pickett, co-author of The Spirit LevelA convincing picture of the epic insulation of the 1% -- Mary O’Hara, author of Austerity BitesIn a remarkable feat of archival excavation, Bill Mullen and Christopher Vials have prepared a carefully compiled dossier to address fascism in the US in new and original ways. The result is a varied and vital collection - historically engaging and pressingly relevant - that tracks the arc of fascism and radical responses. The US Antifascism Reader brings the true stakes of this topic into focus. It's a book I urge scholars and activists to obtain at once! -- Alan Wald, University of Michigan

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Book SynopsisDemocratic societies thrive when citizens actively and critically engage with new ideas, developments and claims to truth. Not only can such practices result in more effective choice-making, but they can also lead to widespread support for progressive beliefs, such as social justice. With Western societies in the midst of environmental, social and political crises, it seems more pertinent than ever that citizens become ‘ideas-informed’. Presenting concepts from academia, industry, and practice, The Ideas-Informed Society closes the gap between the ideal of the ideas-informed society and the current reality. By exploring what it means to be ideas-informed and the benefits for both individuals and society, the chapters conceive what an ideal ideas-informed society would look like, what are the key ingredients of an ideas-informed society, and how to make it happen.Table of ContentsForeword; Sir Anthony Seldon PART 1: The Concept of an Ideas-Informed Society Chapter 1. Potent Ideas, Engaged Citizens, Healthy Societies; Chris Brown and Graham Handscomb Chapter 2. The Value of Uncertainty and the Tyranny of the Closed Mind; Sir Les Ebdon OBE Chapter 3. A Little Conceptual Housekeeping: ideas and their contexts; Lesley Saunders Chapter 4. Battle of Ideas: Shaping the future through debate; Alastair Donald PART 2: Truth-telling, Democracy and Community Chapter 5. Battle of Ideas: Weaponising the Free Speech Fallacy; Sam Fowles Chapter 6. Reversing Polarisation: How Challenging Ideas Can Help People Find Common Purpose; Sir Paul Collier Chapter 7. When Ideas Fail; Iain King CBE Chapter 8. Bearing the Truth and Building Truth-telling Communities; Helen Cameron Chapter 9. Informed Society and Representative Democracy: the role of parliaments; Stéphane Goldstein and Anne-Lise Harding Chapter 10. Questions worth asking and conversations that matter: generating ideas in cohesive communities; Tim Slack and Fiona Thomas Chapter 11. An entrepreneur’s journey: delivering ideas to change a VUCA world; Paul Lindley OBE Chapter 12. Education for Democracy: Schools as Communities of Inquiry; Vivienne Baumfield PART 3: Creativity, Arts and the Environment Chapter 13. In Praise of Inutility: Learning from Dickens; Judith Mossman Chapter 14. The power of visual ideas – Searching for a sense of place and belonging ; Rafael Klein Chapter 15. Curiosity and Stories: Working with art and archaeology to encourage the growth of cultural capital in local communities; John Castling and Jilly Johnston Chapter 16. Getting the (Positive) Word Out: The IdeaSpies Platform ; Lynn Wood and Sabra Brock Chapter 17. How to succeed in a volatile world? Utilising the 7 Pillars of Positive Resilience to make the ideas-informed society a reality; Belinda Board Chapter 18. As we sit in the in-between; Benjamin Freud and Charlotte Hankin PART 4: Education and empowering young people Chapter 19. Ideas-informed? – Ideas are not enough!; Valerie Hannon and Anthony Mackay AM Chapter 20. Unleashing ideas through Youth Led Social Innovation; Katherine Crisp Chapter 21. Developing Ideas-Informed Young Citizens; John Baumber Chapter 22. The Future Skills Society Needs and Its Critical Implications; Jude Hillary Chapter 23. Education policy for a new age of enlightenment; Raphael Wilkins Chapter 24. Ideas in Action: Critically Reflective Practice; Neil Thompson Chapter 25. Turning Schools Inside Out – Community Curriculum Making; David Leat, Alison Whelan, Ulrike Thomas, Carolynn Kerr, and Ruth Webb Chapter 26. The Case for Place: How we can improve our ideas about ‘place’ in education policymaking; Will Millard

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisChildhood poverty has moved from the periphery to the centre of the policy agenda following New Labour's pledge to end it within twenty years. However, whether the needs and concerns of poor children themselves are being addressed is open to question. The findings raise critical issues for both policy and practice - in particular the finding that children are at great risk of experiencing exclusion within school. School has been a major target in the drive towards reducing child poverty. However, the policy focus has been mainly about literacy standards and exclusion from school. This book shows that poor children are suffering from insufficient access to the economic and material resources necessary for adequate social participation and academic parity. Childhood poverty and social exclusion will be an invaluable teaching aid across a range of academic courses, including social policy, sociology, social work and childhood studies. All those who are interested in developing a more inclusive social and policy framework for understanding childhood issues from a child-centred perspective, including child welfare practitioners and policy makers, will want to read this book. Studies in poverty, inequality and social exclusion series Series Editor: David Gordon, Director, Townsend Centre for International Poverty Research. Poverty, inequality and social exclusion remain the most fundamental problems that humanity faces in the 21st century. This exciting series, published in association with the Townsend Centre for International Poverty Research at the University of Bristol, aims to make cutting-edge poverty related research more widely available. For other titles in this series, please follow the series link from the main catalogue page.Trade Review"The sharp observations of these young citizens on their schooling, on problems in their neighbourhood and on the deficiencies of their leisure opportunities, set an agenda for any practitioner who aspires to tackle family poverty." Community Care"Ridge's work enters a previously underdeveloped field of poverty-related research, and in doing so makes substantive, theoretical and methodological contributions. This book will be of interest to those involved in the development and evaluation of public policy, researches concerned with policy and poverty, and those involved in education - as well as to anyone wanting to move toward a rich, contextual understanding of how the world is experienced and negotiated by children." Family Matters"This book is an accessible and informative read for anyone researching, studying and working on poverty and social exclusion... It is a book that deserves to be widely read, and one that demands to be acted upon." International Journal of Social Welfare "... an extremely useful contribution to the literature on poverty. The value of recording and reporting children's experiences in their own words is indisputable." Children, Youth and Environments "... important and timely." Youth & Policy"...a vivid and comprehensive picture of what it is like to grow up poor in Britain today." Journal of Social Policy"This book provides richness and context to debates about childhood poverty, and remedies for it, from the perspectives of children themselves." Sue Middleton, Centre for Research in Social Policy, Loughborough UniversityTable of ContentsContents: The challenge of child poverty: developing a child-centred approach; What do we know about childhood poverty?; Children's access to economic and material resources; 'Fitting in' and 'joining in': social relations and social integration; Family life and self-reflection; Experiences and perceptions of school: analysis of BHPYS data; Childhood poverty and social exclusion: incorporating children's perspectives.

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Book SynopsisDuring the last decade, indigenous youth from Northeast India have migrated in large numbers to the main cities of metropolitan India to find work and study. This migration is facilitated by new work opportunities in the hospitality sector, mainly as service personnel in luxury hotels, shopping malls, restaurants and airlines. Prolonged armed conflicts, militarization, a stagnant economy, corrupt and ineffective governance structures, and the harsh conditions of subsistence agriculture in their home villages or small towns impel the youth to seek future prospects outside their home region. English language skills, a general cosmopolitan outlook as well as a non-Indian physical appearance have proven to be key assets in securing work within the new hospitality industry. Leaving the Land traces the migratory journeys of these youths and engage with their new lives in cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Wayfinding; 2. Light skin and soft skills; 3. Departures and returns; 4. Interlude; 5. Dreams and desserts; 6. Talking about method; Conclusion; Afterword; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisMobility is a keyword of late modernity that suggests an increasingly unrestrained and interconnected world of individual opportunities. However, as privileges enable some to live in a seemingly borderless world, others remain excluded and marginalized. Boundaries are created, modified and consolidated, particularly in times of hypermobility. Evidently, mobility is closely tied to immobility. This volume features ethnographic research that challenges the concept of mobility with regard to social inequalities and global hierarchies.Trade Review"An important and timely contribution to mobilities research. Regarding the sophisticated use of language and analysis of the cases, the volume is suitable for researchers or graduate students who have some experience with mobilities literature rather than under graduate students or beginners in the field." Ilkay Tas Gursoy, Anatolia, 05.06.2017 Besprochen in: Contemporary Sociology 46/6 (2018), Emily Rauscher

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Book SynopsisThis volume brings together an exciting range of new studies of top incomes in a wide range of countries from around the world. The studies use data from income tax records to cast light on the dramatic changes that have taken place at the top of the income distribution. The results cover 22 countries and have a long time span, going back to 1875.Table of Contents1. Top Indian Incomes, 1922-2000 ; 2. Income inequality and progressive income taxation in China and India, 1986-2015 ; 3. The evolution of income concentration in Japan, 1886-2005: Evidence from income tax statistics ; 4. Top incomes in Indonesia, 1920-2004 ; 5. Top incomes in a rapidly growing economy: Singapore ; 6. The rich in Argentina over the twentieth century 1932-2004 ; 7. Top Incomes in Sweden over the twentieth century ; 8. Trends in top income shares in Finland ; 9. Top incomes in Norway ; 10. Income and wealth concentration in Spain in a historical and fiscal perspective ; 11. Top incomes and earnings in Portugal 1936-2005 ; 12. Top incomes in Italy 1974-2004 ; 13. Top incomes in the long run of history

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Book SynopsisBased on pioneering research on top incomes, this volume uses data from income tax records in 10 OECD countries over the past century to cast new light on the dramatic changes that have taken place among top earners. The volume provides rich material for exploring inequality, taxation, the impact of wars, and executive compensation.Table of Contents1. Top Incomes over the Twentieth Century: A Summary of the Main Findings ; 2. Measuring Top Incomes: Methodological Issues ; 3. Income, Wage, and Wealth Inequality in France, 1901-1998 ; 4. The Distribution of Top Incomes in the United Kingdom, 1908-2000 ; 5. Income and Wage Inequality in the United States, 1913-2002 ; 6. The Evolution of High Incomes in Canada, 1920-2000 ; 7. The Distribution of Top Incomes in Australia ; 8. The Distribution of Top Incomes in New Zealand ; 9. Top Incomes in Germany throughout the Twentieth Century, 1891-1998 ; 10. Top Incomes in the Netherlands over the Twentieth Century ; 11. Income and Wealth Concentration in Switzerland over the Twentieth Century ; 12. Long Term Trends in Top Income Shares in Ireland ; 13. Towards a Unified Data Set on Top Incomes

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Book SynopsisFull of political intrigue and corruption, Smouldering Charcoal illustrates the devastating injustice inflicted on society by the ruling classes in postcolonial Malawi. Two couples one poor and working class, the other college-educated and social risers both live under the brutal regime of The Leader. Inside his nation, secret informants are everywhere and any form of protest will get you killed. Following their very different perspectives, both discover that violence and oppression has invaded every level of society. It soon becomes apparent that even after overthrowing an empire, one evil can simply be replaced by another...''Compassionate and real, the book praises the tenacity of the human spirit without glamorizing it.'' New InternationalistTrade ReviewCompassionate and real, the book praises the tenacity of the human spirit without glamorizing it. * New Internationalist *

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a multi-faceted way of assessing the British approach to refuge on local, state and regional levels, by intertwining the theories of hospitality and labelling before applying them to the study of refugees.

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Book SynopsisPowerful Schools seeks to release the creative vision within all educators, and show how schools can lead the way in establishing structures and practices that will support young people to become productive members of a global society. If educators are liberated to recognise that the vast potential of schools need not be constrained by expectations about qualifications, curriculum, the length of the school day, or physical buildings, then their imagination soars, as does their capacity for invention. Powerful Schools is a blueprint, showing how each and every school can grow abundantly rich in opportunities for individuals to develop the skills to become more socially and globally mobile, actively supported by numerous people and organisations who are consciously working to engage them in making the most of these opportunities.Table of ContentsIntroduction: what is social and global mobility? Chapter 1: Mobility, Power and Schools: why are they important? Chapter 2: Dimensions of Powerful Schools: what does Powerful look like in practice? Chapter 3: Who is going to make this happen? Who are your stakeholders? Chapter 4: Planning for change Chapter 5: Motivations and contributions - why your stakeholders will get involved and what they can bring Chapter 6: How do you engage your stakeholders? Realms of powerful activity Chapter 7: Building the power: practical ideas to engage stakeholder groups Chapter 8: Bringing it all together - what do you do next?

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Book SynopsisSonia Blandford, CEO of award-winning charity Achievement for All, writes brilliantly and honestly about the facing up to the realities of the white working class and how to address social mobility from the inside. No-one in the UK is better placed than Sonia to write about the struggles of white working class pupils in our schools. She grew up on the Allied Estate in Hounslow and was the first member of her family to pursue education beyond the age of 14 and was also the first to attend university. Sonia lost her mother when she took an accidental overdose, when she couldn't read the doctor's prescription. This tragic failing served as one of the inspirations for her to set up the award-winning Achievement for All organisation, who work with thousands of schools to help close the attainment gap. Born to Fail? tackles head-on issues such as why education often doesn't matter to the working class; how education has failed to deliver for them; the importance of self-belief, action and confidence; and how the Early Years is the crucial time to build success from the start.Trade Review'Sonia Blandford's book hit me like a ducking in freezing water. My starting point was the opposite to hers - privileged and certain I could change the world. She says of the working class 'it isn't about rescuing them. It's about valuing them and allowing them to develop in their own way'. Written with great clarity and personal insight, this is a book which, if taken seriously, especially by educationists and policy makers, really could change the world and I personally wish I had had the benefits of its wisdom fifty years ago. It is a perfect read for anyone wanting to see a more equitable society in modern Britain.' -- Sir Stephen O'Brien CBE (Founding Chair Teach First; Founding CEO Business in the Community and London First) 'Blandford may be the first Professor to have failed her English qualification five times - but this heart-ripping, brain-provoking book uses words perfectly to explain why class is not the same as disadvantage, why social mobility isn't something well-educated teachers can hand to chosen children but is something every child must be helped to choose for themselves, and why something as simple as playing the cornet in a school musical can be life-changing. Practical, hard-hitting, and packed with evidence, this is a manifesto for looking again at how we really make schools work for everyone.' -- Laura McInerney, Editor of Schools Week 'This book offers a genuinely new and unique approach to the debate on social mobility by using the author's own experience of growing up and succeeding from a working class background. Sonia shows how we need to understand the impact of working class experience and values on learners if we are to successfully shape educational policy and interventions which really have a chance of success. Building on her own extensive experience of implementing life changing programmes in education she explores what needs to change in our system to turn around the fact that social mobility is going backwards. This is a must read analysis if you are interested in making a difference in this area.' -- Brian Lamb, OBE (Special Educational Needs and Disability policy expert and Government adviser)Sonia Blandford's book hit me like a ducking in freezing water. My starting point was the opposite to hers - privileged and certain I could change the world. She says of the working class 'it isn't about rescuing them. It's about valuing them and allowing them to develop in their own way'. Written with great clarity and personal insight, this is a book which, if taken seriously, especially by educationists and policy makers, really could change the world and I personally wish I had had the benefits of its wisdom fifty years ago. It is a perfect read for anyone wanting to see a more equitable society in modern Britain. Sir Stephen O'Brien CBE (Founding Chair Teach First; Founding CEO Business in the Community and London First Blandford may be the first Professor to have failed her English qualification five times - but this heart-ripping, brain-provoking book uses words perfectly to explain why class is not the same as disadvantage, why social mobility isn't something well-educated teachers can hand to chosen children but is something every child must be helped to choose for themselves, and why something as simple as playing the cornet in a school musical can be life-changing. Practical, hard-hitting, and packed with evidence, this is a manifesto for looking again at how we really make schools work for everyone Laura McInerney, Editor of Schools Week This book offers a genuinely new and unique approach to the debate on social mobility by using the author's own experience of growing up and succeeding from a working class background. Sonia shows how we need to understand the impact of working class experience and values on learners if we are to successfully shape educational policy and interventions which really have a chance of success. Building on her own extensive experience of implementing life changing programmes in education she explores what needs to change in our system to turn around the fact that social mobility is going backwards. This is a must read analysis if you are interested in making a difference in this area. Brian Lamb, OBE (Special Educational Needs and Disability policy expert and Government adviser)

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Book SynopsisSocial Mobility: Chance or Choice?, a sequel to `Born to Fail? Social Mobility, a Working Class View' (October 2017), sets out the current chances and choices available for those considered by the establishment to need social mobility. Revisiting mutuality, Sonia Blandford asks whether we care enough as a society by considering the issues, solutions and impact to the education and social issues that push against the chance or choice of social mobility. Citing the views from interviews with education and business leaders, Social Mobility: Chance or Choice? reflects on the changing skillsets and capacities of workers required by employers, business and industry and the inescapable conclusion that the skillsets and capacities will continue to change in ways that are almost impossible for us to predict. In these contexts, we must question whether the traditional acme and 'recognised journey' of educational achievement - maximising university entrance - is still relevant or useful for working class children and young people and children facing disadvantage. Apprenticeships, at their best, can offer an updated and forward-facing solution to the providing choice for working class and all children and young people. Despite current policy developments to encourage meaningful apprenticeships, apprenticeship programmes are experiencing challenges. Social Mobility: Chance or Choice? argues that applied learning and work-based learning should be more accessible and available to all children and young people. If we are serious about unleashing the talent of all children and young people, regardless of their background, challenges or needs, we must consider new and innovative approaches to post-14 education. If we are to unleash the potential of all children and young people, the role of Further Education needs to be respected and understood. Quality Further Education and training in partnership with business is a credible answer to social mobility. Further Education is an underused but ideally placed sector to develop meaningful change for working-class young people, providing real chances and choices. Beginning with Leaders - professionals, practitioners, parents or carers, and members of society have a shared responsibility to ensure that all children and young people have a right to chance or choice and support these opportunities. Building a society that is truly inclusive.

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Book SynopsisByzantium as a Dynamic Society on the Move

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Book SynopsisGrowing up in Diverse Societies offers an assessment of the lives and attitudes of young ethnic minorities. Using recent data on c. 19,000 adolescents in England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden, the editors have compared minorities and the majority revealing patterns of integration across immigrant origins and destination countries.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"While, as the authors argue, to compare is human, a lot goes into which comparisons we make. Whether individuals engage in upward or downward comparison makes a huge difference in how they construct inequality in their minds and their political responses to this inequality. Condon and Wichowsky argue that which comparisons individuals choose to engage in, and which ones they are encouraged to make by the media and the political machinery determines how they react. Their ability to connect the dots between economic trends, social psychology, and politics of identity construction create an engaging book with tremendous salience for the present political moment." * Population and Development Review *"[The Economic Other] explores the central role of social comparison in the politics of inequality, focusing on ways that race and gender determine the nature and impact of cross-class comparisons. . . . [The book] investigates why Americans have not demanded more economic redistribution despite the substantial increases in income inequality. . . . [and] evaluates whether these reinforcing patterns regarding social comparison can be interrupted." * Journal of Economic Literature *“This book offers a wide range of insights and valuable causal inferences, serves as a methodological model that will likely be referenced in the future, and is sufficiently theoretically overabundant that scholars and students will likely be reading and building on it for many years to come.” * Perspectives on Politics *"Why are ordinary citizens so indifferent to socioeconomic inequality? Condon and Wichowsky offer a fresh, brilliant explanation to this central question of our time: the psychology of social comparison. Looking up at the privileged fosters awareness of inequality and support for ameliorating measures, but it is also uncomfortable and, therefore, rare. For emotional self-preservation, people would rather look down at the less fortunate, which undercuts mobilization around inequality. Engagingly written, theoretically sophisticated, and full of fascinating new data, this volume is a stand-out among the many books now examining inequality." -- Andrea Campbell, MIT"It is no longer deniable that social class matters in United States politics. Condon and Wichowsky lay open how it works for the thoughts and behaviors of members of the public. Their careful and lucid analyses show us that in this context of economic inequality, people are often comparing themselves to others whom they perceive to be faring better or worse and that these comparisons matter for our contemporary politics. This is a sophisticated take that maintains a focus on gender and race and treats economic distinctions as the social and political phenomena that they are." -- Katherine J. Cramer, University of Wisconsin–Madison"Rooted in social-psychological theory and a wealth of data from survey experiments, The Economic Other shines a bright light on a puzzling feature of our times: why soaring economic inequality has not produced a correspondingly strong demand for redistributive action. It shows that cross-class social comparisons importantly shape opinions about redistributive programs. Looking upward at high-income people encourages support for redistribution. But looking upward is uncomfortable and is discouraged by residential segregation, economic anxiety, and misleading media. Most Americans either avoid comparisons or look downward, reassuring themselves but blunting egalitarian impulses. Still, the authors offer some possible cures for this self-reinforcing dynamic of inequality." -- Benjamin I. Page, Northwestern University"This is an important book, addressing an important set of questions, using innovative techniques to get answers. Condon and Wichowsky provide social scientists with a framework to understand the disconnect between rising inequality and support for redistribution. They provide progressive activists with a foundation to build more convincing messages. And on top of that, it is written in an engaging and accessible style." -- Nathan J. Kelly, University of Tennessee, Knoxville"In the last day, how many times have you compared yourself to someone else? If you’re not sure, you’re not alone: people compare themselves to others all the time, sometimes almost unconsciously. What’s remarkable is that these social comparisons are often the hidden drivers of how Americans form political attitudes about some of the paramount political issues of our time—issues like inequality, redistribution, and social policy. In this engaging and carefully-researched book, Condon and Wichowsky shine an overdue light on comparisons across social classes—that is, how Americans think about people richer and poorer than themselves—and the surprisingly powerful ways that these views structure our attitudes about inequality and economic policy. If you want to understand why Americans react to inequality in the (sometimes surprising) ways that they do, you need to read this book." -- Nicholas Carnes, Duke University“This book is like no other. It uses cutting-edge social science methods to explain how citizens think about themselves, others, and public policy. In so doing, it provides invaluable insight into the pressing contemporary issues of inequality and redistribution. Condon and Wichowsky will change the way scholars study public opinion formation and how we all think and talk about inequality.” -- James N. Druckman, Northwestern University"Some research in political psychology can seem like angels dancing on the head of a pin from the perspective of scholars focused on large political movements and big policy dilemmas—but not this book. The Economic Other uses elegant experimental and other techniques to explore two findings: how Americans compare themselves to others can increase their desire for greater social and economic equality, but how much they compare themselves to others can dampen that desire. Those are collective phenomena, not merely individual perversity. The combination is intellectually fascinating, politically infuriating, and morally disturbing—Condon and Wichowsky focus our attention on a dynamic that explains a lot of what is most troubling about American politics today." -- Jennifer L. Hochschild, Harvard University"Scholars of race, ethnicity, and politics will value the book’s detailed examination of heterogeneity across races and genders." * Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics *"A timely and necessary piece of scholarship, this book contributes to a rich literature about inequality and the hesitancy to redistribute, opening up many possibilities for future research... This book should be required reading for not only academics, but anyone who wishes to better understand inequality in the United States." * Political Science Quarterly *"Condon and Wichowsky add a crucial social-psychological dimension to existing understandings of the roots of American attitudes about economic inequality, and contribute fresh insights on the obstacles that confront political efforts to mitigate inequality. This is a book I recommend highly to public opinion scholars for its theoretical insight and astute methodological blend. But it also deserves to be read widely by scholars interested in how political messages, policy proposals, and institutional reforms can undermine or encourage constructive responses to our economic divide." * Public Opinion Quarterly *Table of Contents1: The Politics of Social ComparisonPart I: Imagining the Economic Other 2: Inequality in the Social Mind 3: Revealing the Social Mind 4: The Disadvantaged Other 5: The Advantaged OtherPart II: Responding to the Economic Other 6: Social Comparison and Status Perceptions 7: Social Comparison and Support for RedistributionPart III: Insulated from Inequality 8: Why Americans Don’t Look Up 9: Why Americans Would Rather Look Down 10: How Looking Up Keeps Us Down 11: The Power of Social Comparison Acknowledgments Appendix Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"While, as the authors argue, to compare is human, a lot goes into which comparisons we make. Whether individuals engage in upward or downward comparison makes a huge difference in how they construct inequality in their minds and their political responses to this inequality. Condon and Wichowsky argue that which comparisons individuals choose to engage in, and which ones they are encouraged to make by the media and the political machinery determines how they react. Their ability to connect the dots between economic trends, social psychology, and politics of identity construction create an engaging book with tremendous salience for the present political moment." * Population and Development Review *"[The Economic Other] explores the central role of social comparison in the politics of inequality, focusing on ways that race and gender determine the nature and impact of cross-class comparisons. . . . [The book] investigates why Americans have not demanded more economic redistribution despite the substantial increases in income inequality. . . . [and] evaluates whether these reinforcing patterns regarding social comparison can be interrupted." * Journal of Economic Literature *“This book offers a wide range of insights and valuable causal inferences, serves as a methodological model that will likely be referenced in the future, and is sufficiently theoretically overabundant that scholars and students will likely be reading and building on it for many years to come.” * Perspectives on Politics *"Why are ordinary citizens so indifferent to socioeconomic inequality? Condon and Wichowsky offer a fresh, brilliant explanation to this central question of our time: the psychology of social comparison. Looking up at the privileged fosters awareness of inequality and support for ameliorating measures, but it is also uncomfortable and, therefore, rare. For emotional self-preservation, people would rather look down at the less fortunate, which undercuts mobilization around inequality. Engagingly written, theoretically sophisticated, and full of fascinating new data, this volume is a stand-out among the many books now examining inequality." -- Andrea Campbell, MIT"It is no longer deniable that social class matters in United States politics. Condon and Wichowsky lay open how it works for the thoughts and behaviors of members of the public. Their careful and lucid analyses show us that in this context of economic inequality, people are often comparing themselves to others whom they perceive to be faring better or worse and that these comparisons matter for our contemporary politics. This is a sophisticated take that maintains a focus on gender and race and treats economic distinctions as the social and political phenomena that they are." -- Katherine J. Cramer, University of Wisconsin–Madison"Rooted in social-psychological theory and a wealth of data from survey experiments, The Economic Other shines a bright light on a puzzling feature of our times: why soaring economic inequality has not produced a correspondingly strong demand for redistributive action. It shows that cross-class social comparisons importantly shape opinions about redistributive programs. Looking upward at high-income people encourages support for redistribution. But looking upward is uncomfortable and is discouraged by residential segregation, economic anxiety, and misleading media. Most Americans either avoid comparisons or look downward, reassuring themselves but blunting egalitarian impulses. Still, the authors offer some possible cures for this self-reinforcing dynamic of inequality." -- Benjamin I. Page, Northwestern University"This is an important book, addressing an important set of questions, using innovative techniques to get answers. Condon and Wichowsky provide social scientists with a framework to understand the disconnect between rising inequality and support for redistribution. They provide progressive activists with a foundation to build more convincing messages. And on top of that, it is written in an engaging and accessible style." -- Nathan J. Kelly, University of Tennessee, Knoxville"In the last day, how many times have you compared yourself to someone else? If you’re not sure, you’re not alone: people compare themselves to others all the time, sometimes almost unconsciously. What’s remarkable is that these social comparisons are often the hidden drivers of how Americans form political attitudes about some of the paramount political issues of our time—issues like inequality, redistribution, and social policy. In this engaging and carefully-researched book, Condon and Wichowsky shine an overdue light on comparisons across social classes—that is, how Americans think about people richer and poorer than themselves—and the surprisingly powerful ways that these views structure our attitudes about inequality and economic policy. If you want to understand why Americans react to inequality in the (sometimes surprising) ways that they do, you need to read this book." -- Nicholas Carnes, Duke University“This book is like no other. It uses cutting-edge social science methods to explain how citizens think about themselves, others, and public policy. In so doing, it provides invaluable insight into the pressing contemporary issues of inequality and redistribution. Condon and Wichowsky will change the way scholars study public opinion formation and how we all think and talk about inequality.” -- James N. Druckman, Northwestern University"Some research in political psychology can seem like angels dancing on the head of a pin from the perspective of scholars focused on large political movements and big policy dilemmas—but not this book. The Economic Other uses elegant experimental and other techniques to explore two findings: how Americans compare themselves to others can increase their desire for greater social and economic equality, but how much they compare themselves to others can dampen that desire. Those are collective phenomena, not merely individual perversity. The combination is intellectually fascinating, politically infuriating, and morally disturbing—Condon and Wichowsky focus our attention on a dynamic that explains a lot of what is most troubling about American politics today." -- Jennifer L. Hochschild, Harvard University"Scholars of race, ethnicity, and politics will value the book’s detailed examination of heterogeneity across races and genders." * Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics *"A timely and necessary piece of scholarship, this book contributes to a rich literature about inequality and the hesitancy to redistribute, opening up many possibilities for future research... This book should be required reading for not only academics, but anyone who wishes to better understand inequality in the United States." * Political Science Quarterly *"Condon and Wichowsky add a crucial social-psychological dimension to existing understandings of the roots of American attitudes about economic inequality, and contribute fresh insights on the obstacles that confront political efforts to mitigate inequality. This is a book I recommend highly to public opinion scholars for its theoretical insight and astute methodological blend. But it also deserves to be read widely by scholars interested in how political messages, policy proposals, and institutional reforms can undermine or encourage constructive responses to our economic divide." * Public Opinion Quarterly *Table of Contents1: The Politics of Social ComparisonPart I: Imagining the Economic Other 2: Inequality in the Social Mind 3: Revealing the Social Mind 4: The Disadvantaged Other 5: The Advantaged OtherPart II: Responding to the Economic Other 6: Social Comparison and Status Perceptions 7: Social Comparison and Support for RedistributionPart III: Insulated from Inequality 8: Why Americans Don’t Look Up 9: Why Americans Would Rather Look Down 10: How Looking Up Keeps Us Down 11: The Power of Social Comparison Acknowledgments Appendix Notes References Index

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