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First published in 1984, The Impact of Social Policy analyses and evaluates the effects of social policy on British society in the post-war period. The focus is on the consequences of social policy and the authors differentiate clearly between the objectives of social policy and what it actually achieves. What governments and individuals claim that social policy does, and what happens in practice, are not always one and the same thing. George and Wilding examine the impact of social policy in a coherent and logical way, looking at the social, the economic and the political aspects. They conclude that social services are conducive to economic growth, and that they are an important instrument for enhancing social well-being although they do not reduce socio-economic inequalities to any substantial degree. They also point out that although social services buttress political stability, they have not prevented a political crisis in the welfare state. This book will be of interest to students of sociology, public policy, political science, and economics.