Good Times, Bad Times: The Welfare Myth of Them and Us

Two-thirds of UK government spending now goes on the welfare state and where the money is spent – healthcare, education, pensions, benefits – is the centre of political and public debate.

Much of that debate is dominated by the myth that the population divides into those who benefit from the welfare state and those who pay into it – 'skivers' and 'strivers', 'them' and 'us'.

This ground-breaking book, written by one of the UK’s leading social policy experts, uses extensive research and sur...