Terrence Casey – författare

This important book, newly available in paperback, examines a period of dramatic economic change in Britain during the Thatcher era. The Conservatives' free market policies generally improved the performance of the economy in Britain, but some parts of the country still did poorly (for example northern England). Casey argues that this was as a result of variations in social contexts - a combination of institutions, interests and economic culture. Southern England, possessing a more individualistic culture and higher levels of entrepreneurialism, has a 'market responsive' social context that can prosper under free market policies. Social context is thus a crucial intervening variable between the policies selected by decision-makers and the performance of economies, the key for enhancing prosperity is the proper match between economic policies and the context in which they are implemented.The social context of economic change in Britain provides an original theoretical framework linking economic growth and civil society and offers a unique insight into the Thatcher era. This book will be of interest to students of British politics and comparative political economy, public policy and political history.

This book tells the story of the rise of Margaret Thatcher in the context of crises assailing Britain in the 1970s and how her ascent to power ushered in the neoliberal era.Forging the Iron Lady details her journey from relative obscurity to the pinnacle of power as a collective, as well as personal, tale and how an uncertain chain of events, influenced through ideas and political agency, opened the path to certain outcomes while throwing up barriers to others. It is her “origin story” as the Iron Lady. It examines a dramatic phase in her political advance and how the tumultuous politics of the 1970s shaped her as a politician and her political ideals, and how the conditions necessary to bring about major political-economic changes were created, leading to three decades of neoliberalism. In doing so, this book offers a better understanding of the political conditions needed for a change in political-economic orders.This book is of key interest to scholars, students, and readers of British politics and history, Thatcherism, political parties, elections, executive, and elite politics.