Examining the policies of the Thatcher governments helps us understand the economic and social conditions in Britain today. The book explores Thatcherite policies on the economy, social welfare, housing, education, crime, families, and social inequality, and examines what can be said about the legacy of Thatcherism for the 21st century.

First major assessment of Thatcherism since the death of Margaret ThatcherEach chapter is accompanied by a Commentary which helps reader locate the issues in a wider set of debates and historical influencesShows how policy changes in one arena have impacts in other arenasFirst major assessment of Thatcherism since the death of Margaret ThatcherWritten by experts in the field

Colin Hay is Professor of Government and Comparative Public Policy at Sciences Po, Paris and an Affiliate Professor of Political Analysis at the University of Sheffield where he co-founded the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute. He is the author of a number of books including, most recently, The Failure of Anglo-Liberal Capitalism (Palgrave 2013) and The Political Economy of European Welfare Capitalism (Palgrave 2012, with Daniel Wincott). He is editor or co-editor of the journals New Political Economy, Comparative European Politics and British Politics.Contributors: Sarah Childs is Professor of Politics and Gender at the University of Bristol, UK. Miriam E. David, PhD., AcSS, FRSA is Professor Emerita of Sociology of Education and Professor (2005-2010) and Associate Director (Higher Education) of the ESRC's Teaching & Learning Research Programme (2004-2009) at the Institute of Education University of London. She is a visiting professor in the Centre for Higher Education & Equity Research (CHEER) in the School of Education and Social Work at the University of Sussex. Peter Dorey is Professor of British Politics at Cardiff University. In spring 2014, Peter Dorey will be Visiting Professor of Politics at the University of Bordeaux.Danny Dorling is a professor at the University of Oxford. David Downes is Professor Emeritus of Social Administration and a founder member of the Mannheim Centre for Criminology at the London School of Economics. He was a founding editor of the Clarendon Studies in Criminology series for the Oxford University Press. Stephen Farrall is Professor of Criminology and Director of the Centre for Criminological Research at the University of Sheffield. Andrew Gamble is Professor of Politics and a Fellow of Queens' College in the University of Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and the UK Academy of Social Sciences. Colin Hay is Professor of Government and Comparative Public Policy at Sciences Po, Paris and an Affiliate Professor of Political Analysis at the University of Sheffield.Michael Hill is Emeritus Professor of Social Policy of the University of Newcastle. In 2009 he was given the Social Policy Association's lifetime award.Professor Peter M. Jackson AcSS, is Research Director for the College of Social Science at the University of Leicester and Professor of Economics and Strategy in its School of Management. Will Jennings is Reader in Politics at the University of Southampton.Ken Jones is Professor of Education at Goldsmiths, University of London.Peter A. Kemp is a professor of public policy in the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford and a member of the Oxford Institute of Social Policy. Chris Philo holds a Chair of Geography at the University of Glasgow.Alan Murie is Emeritus Professor of Urban and Regional Studies at the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies at Birmingham University. Adrian Sinfield isProfessor Emeritus of Social Policy at the University of Edinburgh.Peter Taylor-Gooby, OBE, FBA, AcSS, FRSA is Professor of Social Policy at the University of Kent, Chair of the British Academy programme on New Paradigms in Public Policy.Helen Thompson is a Reader in Politics at the University of Cambridge. Paul Webb is Professor of Politics at the University of Sussex and editor of the journal 'Party Politics'. Alan Walker (BA, DLitt, Hon. D.Soc.Sc. (HKBU), FBA, FRSA, AcSS) is Professor of Social Policy and Social Gerontology at the University of Sheffield, UK. He is currently Director of the New Dynamics of Ageing Programme (http://www.newdynamics.group.shef.ac.uk ) funded by five UK Research Councils and Social Innovations for an Ageing Population funded by the European Commission.Carol Walker is Professor of Social Policy in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Lincoln.

First major assessment of Thatcherism since the death of Margaret ThatcherEach chapter is accompanied by a Commentary which helps reader locate the issues in a wider set of debates and historical influencesShows how policy changes in one arena have impacts in other arenasFirst major assessment of Thatcherism since the death of Margaret ThatcherWritten by experts in the field