John Offer – författare

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) was a major figure in the early development of sociology, famous for work which likened society to an organism and analysed it in evolutionary terms. In this context he was contributing to evolutionary theory before as well as after Darwin and argued consistently that society would be perfected through the operation of the principle that every man should be left free to do what he would as long as he did not interfere with another man's freedom.Spencer's work has been neglected in recent years, but its indirect influence lives on both in libertarian political thought and in the discipline of sociology itself particularly through the work of Durkheim who was heavily influenced by Spencer. This major set traces that influence from the reaction of Spencer's contemporaries to the present day. Contributions come from across the social science disciplines and are often taken from difficult to access contemporary sources.

This book places Spencer's famous argument for political individualism in his The Man versus the State alongside his early The Proper Sphere of Government, out of which, after due gestation, emerged not only The Man versus the State but also Social Status and his all-embracing theory of evolution. Both are valuable as unyielding statements of anti-state political theory and as sources of perceptive comments on political events of the times. An introduction sets them in their context and examines their main themes. The book will be of interest to both undergraduates and specialists in politics, political theory, social policy, sociology and history.

Robert Pinker has written extensively on social policy matters since the early 1960s. His distinct approach to understanding concepts such as welfare pluralism is of particular relevance today as welfare pluralism remains an essential component of the policy mix, giving people access to a greater range and diversity of statutory, voluntary, and private sector services than unitary models of welfare provide. Social Policy and Welfare Pluralism presents the first collection of Robert Pinker’s essays in one edited volume. It includes essays on the ways in which welfare theories and ideologies and public expectations have influenced and shaped the political processes of policy making. Other essays focus on clarifying some of the key concepts that underpin the study of social policy. Pinker also reviews the extent to which the United Kingdom has succeeded in creating a ‘policy mix’ in which normative compromises are negotiated between the claims of market individualism and public sector collectivism. The concluding chapter by Robert Pinker reviews the prospects for social policy in the UK over the next five years.

Social workers are called upon to perform their varied tasks in a wide range of social settings, often involving intensely intimate contact with, and intervention in, a person's private moral and social world. Offering insights into the lives and motives of social work service users, Social Workers, The Community and Social Interaction demonstrates the practical relevance of recent sociological research for good social work practice. The book examines such topics as:·how social work is taught, managed and delivered·the interaction between clients and social workers·the nature of social life in institutions·how stigmatisation shapes social interaction·'deviancy' and its policing·informal care and how social work can relate to it·everyday ideas and beliefs about poverty, inequality and illness.The author argues that sociology is an undervalued resource for social work training and education, and, emphasising the importance of competences in social work, shows how a greater awareness of sociological issues can help improve services for clients.