Poor Parents: Social Policy and the 'Cycle of Deprivation'

by Bill Jordan

Overview

Originally published in 1974, this book provides a critique of official policy towards families with young children living on low incomes and looks in detail at some of the myths prevalent in the public debate – both political and academic – about the ‘cycle of deprivation’, a phrase coined by Sir Keith Joseph (British Politician, 1918-1994). One of these myths is that it is possible to provide, on a selective basis, the best services for the poorest members of the community. Anthe is that the poorest group is the one which is in most need of every kind of social service. A third is that the more generous provision of social services to areas with high concentrations of poor families can reduce tensions and conflicts between social groups. The author contends that these myths are being used to obscure the fact that the persistent force behind post-war social policy is none other than the spirit of the Poor Law.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781041069850
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/15/2025
Series:	Routledge Library Editions: Social Administration & Social Policy
Pages:	210
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

1.Introduction Joseph Melling 2. Property Relations and Housing Policy: Oldham in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries Caroline Beade 3. State, Class and Housing: Glasgow 1885-1919 Seán Damer 4. Housing Policy in Leeds Between the Wars Robert Finnigan 5. Clydeside Housing and the Evolution of State Rent Control, 1900-1939 Joseph Melling 6. The Standard of Council Housing in Inter-War North Shields – A Case Study in the Politics of Reproduction David Byrne 7. Class Struggle, Social Policy and State Structure: Central-Local Relations and Housing Policy, 1919-1939 Jennifer Dale.