`This lively book critiques New Labour assumptions and implementation of policies related to citizenship, communities and welfare reform and the implications of current developments for social work. Focusing explicitly on the UK, the book nevertheless draws on examples and comparisions from other countries (including notably Australia and the US, but also countries in the EU and Central and Eastern Europe), and some of the concerns and arguments will be appreciated by readers elsewhere' - International Social Work
`This lively book critiques New Labour assumptions and implementation of policies related to citizenship, communities and welfare reform and the implications of current developments for social work. Focusing explicitly on the UK, the book nevertheless draws on examples and comparisions from other countries (including notably Australia and the US, but also countries in the EU and Central and Eastern Europe), and some of the concerns and arguments will be appreciated by readers elsewhere' - International Social Work `This book is a well-written contribution to both the British Third Way debate and the welfare state literature.... The book will appeal to upper-level undergraduates as well as scholars of British politics and the welfare state' - Political Studies `Jordan begins by establishing New Labour's suspicion of local government framing its policy on welfare. Fundamentally, there exists a need for social workers to educate themselves as to the nature of this social experiment which New Labour has embarked upon. It challenges social workers to be aware... This is an interesting and at times challenging book, reiterating the history and roots of current ideology within government... The work is grounded in a contemporary context of social services and social work practice, challenging the withdrawal of social work behind a barrier of `managerialism, budget control, form filling...into office based assessment and rationing'... Finally, it offers a satisfying critique to the dominant 'hegemonic' of 'evidence-based practice', arguing for research at the level of means rather than the technical... Jordan similarly argues in his conclusion that all of the government white papers, guidelines, etc. indicate a lack of clarity of purpose and method social work should retain its belief in 'a human and creative activity... which engages with people's emotions... as well as their rights and obligations' - British Journal of Social Work 'Of all Bill Jordan's outstanding books, this is the most important. He criticises New Labour for building a watchdog state. He grieves that social work has lost its soul to managerialism. Yet he argues that both could redeem themselves by working with not for or against the socially excluded. No other British author can match Bill Jordan for putting politics and social work together.' Bob Holman, University of Glasgow 'A groundbreaking analysis of the types of interaction/negotiation between government and civil society on which third way politics and policy-making depend for their success. Jordan produces a vibrant critique of the concept of community lying behind much New Labour rhetoric .... For anyone sick to death of debates about social work focusing on a narrow consideration of methods and outcomes, this attempt to re-locate it within the pressing concerns of the reform process will come as a welcome relief.' Steven Trevillion, Professor and Head of Department of Social Work, Brunel University