Category: Social Policy

The Future Of Capitalism by Paul Collier

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The Blurb On The Back:

Deep new rifts are tearing apart the fabric of Britain and other Western societies: thriving cities versus the provinces, the highly skilled elite versus the less-educated, wealthy versus developing countries.  So far these rifts have been answered only by the stale politics of left vs right.  We have heard many critiques of capitalism but no one has laid out a realistic way to fix it, until now.

In this passionate and polemical book, Paul Collier outlines original and ethical ways of healing these rifts with the cool head of pragmatism, rather than the fervour of ideological revivalism.  He reveals how he has personally lived across these three divides, moving from working class Sheffield to hyper-competitive Oxford, and working between Britain and Africa.  Drawing on his own solutions as well as ideas from some of the world’s greatest social scientists, he shows us how to save capitalism from itself.  

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order THE FUTURE OF CAPITALISM by Paul Collier from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy Of White Male Power by Ijeoma Oluo

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The Blurb On The Back:

Introducing:

Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male Power

White men lead our ineffective government with almost guaranteed re-election.

They lead our corrupt and violent criminal justice system with little risk of facing justice themselves.

And they run our increasingly polarised and misinforming media, winning awards for perpetrating the idea that things run best when white men are in charge.

This is not a stroke of white male luck; this is how our white male supremacist systems have been designed to work.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order MEDIOCRE: THE DANGEROUS LEGACY OF WHITE MALE AMERICA by Ijeoma Oluo from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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The Uncounted by Alex Cobham

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What we count matters – and, in a world where policies and decisions are underpinned by numbers, statistics, and data, if you’re not counted, you don’t count.

Alex Cobham argues that systematic gaps in economic and demographic data lead us not only to understate a wide range of damaging inequalities, but also to actively exacerbate them.  He shows how, in statistics ranging from electoral registers to household surveys and census data, people from disadvantaged groups, such as indigenous populations, women and people living with disabilities, are consistently underrepresented.  This further marginalises them, reducing everything from their political power to their weight in public spending decisions.  Meanwhile, corporations and the ultra rich seek ever greater complexity and opacity in their financial affairs – and when their wealth goes unallied, it means they can avoid regulation and taxation.

This brilliantly researched book shows how what we do and don’t count is not a neutral or ‘technical’ question: the numbers that rule our world are skewed by raw politics.  Cobham forensically lays bare how these issues strike at the heart of our democracy, entrenching inequality and injustice – and outlines what we can do about it.  

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order THE UNCOUNTED by Alex Cobham from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Civil Rights Stories – Racial Equality by Anita Ganeri and Toby Newsome

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The Blurb On The Back:

Civil Rights Stories

Racial Equality

Discover the powerful real-life stories of racial inequality from history and from around the world.  The colour of your skin shouldn’t mean that you are treated badly and with prejudice.  But discrimination by white people against Black, Asian and indigenous peoples, means that racism affects the happiness and safety of millions.  

Civil rights are the rights that all people should have, no matter who they are or where they live.  But not everyone enjoys equal rights.  Civil Rights Stories shines a light on some of the people, movements and moments in the struggle for equality – a struggle that continues to this day.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order CIVIL RIGHTS STORIES: RACIAL EQUALITY by Anita Ganeri and Toby Newsome from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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The Case For A Four Day Week by Anna Coote, Aidan Harper and Alfie Stirling

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Not long ago, people thought that a ten-hour, six-day week was normal; now, it’s the eight-hour, five-day week.  Will that soon be history too?

In this book, three leading experts argue why it should be.  They map out a pragmatic pathway to a shorter working week that safeguards earnings for the lower-paid and keeps the economy flourishing.  They argue that this radical vision will give workers time to be better parents and carers, allow men and women to share paid and unpaid work more equally, and help to save jobs – and create new ones – in the post-pandemic era.  Not only that, but it will combat stress and illness caused by overwork and help to protect the environment. 

This is essential reading for anyone who has ever felt they could live and work a lot better if all weekends are three days long. 

You can buy THE CASE FOR A FOUR DAY WEEK by Anna Coote, Aidan Harper and Alfie Starling from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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The Case For Universal Basic Services by Anna Coote and Andrew Percy

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The Blurb On The Back:

The idea that health care and education should be provided as universal public services on the basis of need is widely accepted.  But why leave it there?  Why not expand it to more of life’s essentials?

Anna Coote and Andrew Percy argue that such a transformational expansion of public services is exactly what we need.  They show that expanding the principle of collective universal service provision to everyday essentials like transport, child care and housing is not only the best way of tackling many of our biggest problems: it’s also efficient, practical and affordable.

Anyone who cares about fighting for a fairer, greener and more democratic world should read this book.

You can order The Case For Universal Basic Services by Anna Coote and Andrew Percy from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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The Case For Community Wealth Building by Joe Guinan and Martin O’Neill

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Our broken economic model drives inequality and disempowerment, lining the pockets of corporations while extracting wealth from local communities.

Joe Guinan and Martin O’Neill argue for an approach that uses the power of democratic participation to drive equitable development and ensure that wealth is widely shared.  They show how this model – Community Wealth Building – can transform our economic system by creating a web of collaborative institutions, from worker cooperatives to community land trusts and public banks, that empower and enrich the many, not the few.

This book is essential reading for everyone interested in building more equal, inclusive, and democratic societies.

You can order The Case For Community Wealth Building by Joe Guinan and Martin O’Neill from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Resisters: 52 Young Women Making Herstory Right Now by Lauren Sharkey and Manjit Thapp

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”We’re not the future.  We’re doing it right now.”

Across the world, young women are uniting to create change and stand up for what they believe in.

Resisters introduces you to 52 activists doing just that.  Some are campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights, to save the environment or to combat feminist issues like period poverty.  While others are active in STEM, politics and diversity.  Yet, whether it be Twitter campaigns or life-saving apps, their great ideas are changing the world as we know it!

Packed with inspiring true stories, tips and takeaways, this is a must-have for those who dare to make a difference. 

You can order Resisters: 52 Young Women Making Herstory Right Now by Lauren Sharkey and Manjit Thapp from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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The End Of Aspiration by Duncan Exley

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Why is it getting harder to secure a job that matches our qualifications, buy a home of our own and achieve financial stability?

Underprivileged people have always faced barriers, but people from middle-income families are increasingly more likely to slide down the social scale than climb up.

Duncan Exley draws on expert research and real-life experiences – including from an actor, a politician, a billionaire entrepreneur and a surgeon – to issue a wake-up call to break through segregated opportunity.  He offers a manifesto to reboot our prospects and benefit all.

You can order The End Of Aspiration by Duncan Exley from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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There Is No Planet B by Mike Berners-Lee

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We have the chance to live better than ever.  But, as humans become ever more powerful, can we avoid blundering into disaster?

Feeding the world, climate change, biodiversity, antibiotics, plastics – the list of concerns seems endless.  But what I most pressing, what are the knock-on effects of our actions, and what should we do first?  Do we all need to become vegetarian?  How can we fly in a low carbon world?  Should we frack?  How can we take control of technology?  Does it all come down to population?  And, given the global nature of the challenges we now face, what on Earth can any of us do?

Fortunately, Mike Berners-Lee has crunched the numbers and plotted a course of action that is practical and even enjoyable.

There Is No Planet B maps it out in an accessible and entertaining way, filled with astonishing facts and analysis.  For the first time you’ll find big-picture perspective on the environmental and economic challenges of the day laid out in one place, and traced through to the underlying roots – questions of how we live and think.  This book will shock you, surprise you – and then make you laugh.

And you’ll find practical and even inspiring ideas for what you can actually do to help humanity thrive on this – our only – planet. 

You can order There Is No Planet B by Mike Berners-Lee from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas

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What explains the spreading backlash against the global elite?  In this revelatory investigation Anand Giridharadas takes us into the inner sanctums of a new gilded age, showing how the elite follow a ‘win-win’ logic, fighting for equality and justice any way they can – except ways that threaten their position at the top.

But why should our gravest problems be solved by consultancies, technology companies and corporate-sponsored charities instead of public institutions and elected officials?  Why should we rely on scraps from the winners?  Trenchant and gripping, this is an indispensable guide and call to action for elites and citizens alike. 

You can order WINNERS TAKE ALL by Anand Giridharadas from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Mass Starvation: The History And Future Of Famine by Alex de Waal

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The world almost conquered famine.  Until the 1980s, this scourge killed ten million people every decade, but by the early 2000s mass starvation had all but disappeared. Today, famines are resident, driven by war, blockade, hostility to humanitarian principles and a volatile global economy.

In Mass Starvation, world-renowned expert on humanitarian crisis and response Alex de Waal provides an authoritative history of modern famines: their causes, dimensions and why they ended.  He analyses starvation as a crime and breaks new ground in examining forced starvation as an instrument of genocide and war.  Refuting the enduring but erroneous view that attributes famine to overpopulation and natural disaster, he shows how political decision or political failing is an essential element in every famine, while the spread of democracy and human rights, and the ending of wars, were major factors in the near-ending of this devastating phenomenon.

Hard-hitting and deeply informed, Mass Starvation explains why man-made famine and the political decisions that could end it for good must once again become a top priority for the international community. 

You can order MASS STARVATION: THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF FAMINE by Alex de Waal from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Will Big Business Destroy Our Planet? by Peter Dauvergne

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Walmart, Coca-Cola, BP, Toyota.  The world economy runs on the profits of transnational corporations.  Politicians need their backing.  Non-profit organizations rely on their philanthropy.  People look to their brands for meaning.  And their power continues to rise.

Can these companies, as so many are now hoping, provide the solutions to end the mounting global environmental crisis? Absolutely, the CEOs of big business are telling us: the commitment to corporate social responsibility will ensure it happens voluntarily.

Peter Dauvergne challenges this claim, arguing instead that corporations are still doing far more to destroy than protect our planet.  Trusting big business to lead sustainability is, he cautions, unwise – perhaps even catastrophic.  Planetary sustainability will require reining in the power of big business, starting now. 

You can order WILL BIG BUSINESS DESTROY OUR PLANET? by Peter Dauvergne from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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The Case For A Maximum Wage by Sam Pizzigati

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Modern societies set limits, on everything from how fast motorists can drive to how much waste factory owners can dump in our rivers. But incomes in our deeply unequal world have no limits. Could capping top incomes tackle rising inequality more effectively than conventional approaches?

In this engaging book, leading analyst Sam Pizzigati details how egalitarians worldwide are demonstrating that a “maximum wage” could be both economically viable and politically practical. He shows how, building on local initiatives, governments could use their tax systems to enforce fair income ratios across the board.

The ultimate goal? That ought to be, Pizzigati argues, a world without a super rich. He explains why we need to create that world – and how we could speed its creation. 

You can order THE CASE FOR A MAXIMUM WAGE by Sam Pizzigati from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Can We Solve The Migration Crisis? by Jacqueline Bhabha

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Every minute 24 people are forced to leave their homes; currently, more than 65 million are displaced worldwide.  Small wonder that tackling the refugee and migration crisis has become a global political priority.

Can this crisis be resolved and, if so, how?  In this compelling essay, Jacqueline Bhabha explains why forced migration demands compassion, generosity, and a vigorous acknowledgement of our shared dependence on human mobility as a key element of global collaboration.  Unless we develop humane “win-win” strategies for tackling the inequalities and conflicts driving migration and for addressing the fears fuelling xenophobia, innocent lives and cardinal human rights principles will be squandered in the service of futile nationalism and oppressive border control.  

You can order CAN WE SOLVE THE MIGRATION CRISIS? by Jacqueline Bhabha from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Refuge: Transforming A Broken Refugee System by Alexander Betts and Paul Collier

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Europe is facing its greatest refugee crisis since the Second World War, yet the institutions responding to it remain virtually unchanged from those created in the post-war era.  As neighbouring countries continue to bear the brunt of the Syrian catastrophe, European governments have enacted a series of ill-considered and damaging gestures.  With a deepening crisis and a xenophobic backlash around the world, it is time for a new vision of refuge.

Going beyond the scenes of desperation that have become all too familiar in the past few years renowned development experts Alexander Betters and Paul Collier break new ground by showing how international policymakers can deliver humane, sustainable results that are better for refugees and host countries.  Drawing upon years of research in the field and original solutions that have already been successfully trialled, they outline a compelling vision that can empower refugees to help themselves, contribute to their host countries and even rebuild their countries of origin.

Refuge reveals how, despite the media focus on the minority of refugees trying to making it to Europe’s shores, 90 per cent of the world’s refugees live in developing countries, mostly in camps or in urban poverty.  In light of this, their eye-opening book situates Europe’s refugee crisis in a global framework, offering a concrete diagnosis for a system that has, for too long, been institutionally broken.

An urgent and essential work, Refuge shows how we can act for both moral and practical purposes in order to deal with the defining challenge of our time.  

You can order REFUGE: TRANSFORMING A BROKEN REFUGEE SYSTEM by Alexander Betts and Paul Collier from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Bioinformation by Bronwyn Parry and Beth Greenhough

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From DNA sequences stored on computer databases to archived forensic samples and biomedical records, bioinformation comes in many forms.  Its unique provenance – the fact that it is ‘mined’ from the very fabric of the human body – makes it a mercurial resource; one that no one seemingly owns, but in which many have deeply vested interests.

In this groundbreaking book, authors Bronwyn Parry and Beth Greenhough explore the complex economic, social and political questions arising from the creation and use of bioinformation.  Drawing on a range of highly topical cases – including the commercialisation of human sequence data, the forensic use of retained bioinformation, biobanking and genealogical research – they show how dramatically demand for this resource has grown, driving a burgeoning but often highly controversial global economy in bioinformation.  But, they argue, change is afoot as new models emerge that challenge the ethos of privatisation by creating instead a dynamic open source ‘bioinformation commons’ available for all future generations.  

You can order BIOINFORMATION by Bronwyn Parry and Beth Greenhough from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Why Democracies Need Science by Harry Collins & Robert Evans

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We live in times of increasing public distrust of the main institutions of modern society.  Experts, including scientists, are suspected of working to hidden agendas or serving vested interests.  The solution is usually seen as more public scrutiny and more control by democratic institutions – experts must be subservient to social and political life.

In this book, Harry Collins and Robert Evans take a radically different view.  They argue that, rather than democracies needing to be protected from science, democratic societies need to learn how to value science in this new age of uncertainty.  By emphasising that science is a moral enterprise, guided by values that should matter to all, they show how science can support democracy without destroying it and propose a new institution – The Owls – that can mediate between science and society and improve technological decision-making for the benefit of all.

You can order WHY DEMOCRACIES NEED SCIENCE by Harry Collins & Robert Evans from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Will Robots Take Your Job? by Nigel M. de S. Cameron

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The trend that began with ATMs and do-it-yourself checkouts is moving at lightning speed.  Everything from driving to teaching to the care of the elderly and, indeed, code-writing can now be done by smart machines.  Conventional wisdom says there will be new jobs to replace those we lose – but is it so simple?  And are we ready?

Technology writer and think-tank director Nigel Cameron argues it’s naïve to believe we face a smooth transition.  Whether or not there are “new” jobs, we face massive disruption as the jobs millions of us are doing gets outsourced to machines.  A twenty-first century “rust belt” will rapidly corrode the labour market and affect literally hundreds of different kinds of jobs simultaneously.

Robots won’t design our future – we will.  Yet, shockingly, political leaders and policymakers don’t seem to have this in their line of sight.  So how should we assess and prepare for the risks of this unknown future?

You can order WILL ROBOTS TAKE YOUR JOB? by Nigel M. de S. Cameron from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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From Prejudice To Pride: A History Of The LGBTQ+ Movement by Amy Lamé

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FROM PREJUDICE TO PRIDE looks at the rise and achievements of the LGBTQ+ movement for equal rights and the different communities, pioneers and stories of heartbreak and courage that have marched alongside it.

Follow LGBTQ+ history from ancient civilisations to the present-day, and learn about key events including the trial of Oscar Wilde, the Stonewall riots, the AIDS crisis and same sex-sex marriage.

Gain insight into the shifting attitudes that have challenged lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and the experiences that help us understand what it means to be LGBTQ+ today.

You can order FROM PREJUDICE TO PRIDE: A HISTORY OF THE LGBTQ+ MOVEMENT by Amy Lamé from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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Big Capital: Who’s London For? by Anna Minton

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Revealing exactly what is causing London’s housing crisis – and what can be done.

London is facing the worst housing crisis in modern times, with knock-on effects for the rest of the UK.  Despite the desperate shortage of housing, tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of affordable homes are being pulled down, replaced by luxury apartments aimed at foreign investors.  In this ideological war, only market solutions to housing – which is a public good – are considered, which paradoxically makes the situation worse, because the market responds to the needs of global capital rather than ordinary people needing homes to live in.  In politically uncertain times, the housing crisis has become a key driver creating and fuelling the inequalities of a divided nation.  Anna Minto cuts through the complexities, jargon and spin to give a clear-sighted account of how we got into this mess and how we can get out of it.

You can order BIG CAPITAL: WHO’S LONDON FOR? by Anna Minton from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

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