ARJAN DE HAAN has been Social Development Adviser at the UK Department for International Development, China since 1998, and this book was finalised when he was Visiting Professor at the University of Guelph, Canada. His research interests include migration, labour markets and livelihoods, particularly in South Asia. At the Poverty Research Unit at the University of Sussex, UK his work focused on poverty monitoring and analysis, and he published on concepts and measurement of social exclusion.

'Arjan de Haan has written a most valuable book on social policy ... De Haan gives particular attention to drawing together the interaction of social and economic policies - one of the foremost themes in current global social policy. De Haan's book is well timed.' - Denys Correll, ICSW Executive Director 'The main audience for which the book is written is clearly the donor community. Nevertheless, given its breadth, the book is also a good buy for students and others who are interested in a quick introduction to the main debates and an extensive list of relevant readings' - Jos Mooij, Institute of Social Sciences, The Netherlands

• Introduction: Why Focus on Social Policy? Globalization, inequality, and the demise of the state? Integrating Social and Economic policies Evolving social policies: the importance of national contexts Structural adjustment, poverty analysis and the safety nets paradigm New poverty reduction strategies and the missing middle Conclusion: A framework for social policy