Austerity Policies

Peter Rushton is Professor of Historical Sociology at the University of Sunderland, and leader of the REF Unit in History for the 2014 research exercise.​Catherine Donovan is a Professor in Social Relations and is Research Lead in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Sunderland.

“This is an excellent addition to the growing literature examining the impact of austerity on individuals, families and communities. … Austerity Policies: Bad Ideas in Practice will be of interest to students, practitioners and other readers from a range of academic and professional backgrounds.” (Ian Cummins, Critical Social Policy, Vol. 39 (3), 2019)

• 1. Introduction; Peter Rushton and Catherine Donovan.- Part One. Austerity: A Break with the Past?.- 2. Austerity: a Critical History of the Present; Peter Rushton.- 3. Austerity and the Undermining of Democracy; Ilona Buchroth and Linda Hetherington.- 4. Mothering in an Age of Austerity; Sheila Quaid.- Part Two.Undermining Professionals.- 5. Austerity and De-Professionalisation; Nigel Malin.- 6. Inspecting 'Transforming Rehabilitation': The Pitfalls of an Austerity Managerialist Approach to Offender Supervision; Nicola Roberts.- 7. Poverty, Regulation and New Forms of Educational Exclusion; Kim Gilligan.- Part Three. Some Consequences of Twenty-First Century Austerity. - 8. Cutting the Ribbon? Austerity Measures and the Problems Faced by the HIV Third Sector; Drew Dalton.- 9. “Well That Would Be Nice, but We Can't do That in the Current Climate”: Prioritising Services Under Austerity; Catherine Donovan and Matt Durey.- 10. Dangerous Times for Looked-After Children: Austerity Cuts Risking the Lives of the Most Vulnerable; Stephanie Hunter.- 11. The ‘New Normal’: Framing Vulnerability, Entitlement and Responsibility in Police Custody in Austere Times; Faye Cosgrove and Donna Peacock.