Inclusive Growth, Development and Welfare Policy: A Critical Assessment: 18 (Routledge Studies in Governance and Public Policy)

'This book is an invaluable resource. It provides a wide-ranging review of key themes and debates around social policy, inclusion, and the welfare impact of development policy. The book also examines inclusive policy alternatives which may help to improve outcomes for the poor. These achievements are supported by detailed case studies of experiences of inclusive (and not so inclusive) growth in different parts of the world. This is an essential reference for students, professionals, policy-makers and scholars working in the fields of development policy and social policy.'-Alfredo Saad Filho, Professor of Development Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London:

'This book directly faces one of the most pressing issues of developing and developed states in the twenty-first century: how to go beyond neoliberalism in fashioning a welfare system and economic structure that provides for all, not just the economic winners ... [It] provides a unifying argument that: (a) welfare regimes matter, (b) they should be based on local conditions, and (c) the shape of social assistance programmes should work with the market to assist the disadvantaged and excluded. This book should be seen as an attempt to rescue support for the market by advocating policies that share market-lead growth with all citizens of a nation ... The authors do a quite convincing job of outlining such a policy agenda and suggest a viable method to achieve policy results. Beyond the interesting content of the chapters, they directly spoke to each other, referencing arguments in previous or later chapters that help make the overall thematic concepts behind the book more cohesive. [The book] often felt as if the authors were in real dialog with each other, an uncommon but highly enjoyable and edifying experience.' - Andrew W. MacDonald, University of Louisville, Journal of Development Studies

'This book makes a wide-ranging contribution in building the theoretical framework and policy instruments around the issues of growth and inequality, which is worthwhile for policy makers, economists and researchers. In exploring the interaction of `social' elements and inclusive growth, the book offers to bridge the gap between economic growth and social inclusion. The key trends in the development and welfare policies are also reflected in detail with the move from rigid policy prescriptions to a more flexible and pragmatic approach, from classic neo-liberalism towards a restored emphasis on the active role of the state and, more generally, a shift from `social spending to social investment'.' - Political Studies Review 15(1): 126