In this authoritative study, originally published in 1980, R. J. Bennett examines who receives what benefit, where and at what cost, from the social services. He adopts an integrated approach to taxes, benefits and intergovernmental grants, drawing empirical examples from a wide range of countries, including the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia and Europe.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Detective Ana Dolabra must prove a condemned man’s innocence and confront a terrifying magical technology in this fantasy-mystery from the author of The Tainted Cup, winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy awards.“Wildly imaginative, sometimes pointed, often hair-raising, and very entertaining, a series that has been a hit with everyone I’ve recommended it to.”—Laura Miller, SlateT...

APHRODITE IX RETURNS TO THE TOP COW UNIVERSE! Sara awakens to a bloody corpse in her bed and struggles to recall brief images from the night before, including that of a mysterious green-haired woman who has disappeared without a trace. Before she can act, though, she's assigned to investigate a brutal murder with all clues pointing to a killer with a knack for outsmarting security systems and escaping undetected. But the pieces start to fall into place as Sara comes face-to-face with one o...

**HUGO AWARD WINNER • WORLD FANTASY AWARD WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A Holmes and Watson–style detective duo take the stage in this fantasy with a mystery twist, from acclaimed author Robert Jackson Bennett“Like an endearing fantasy version of Knives Out . . . A great murder mystery is hard to pull off, but Bennett structures his perfectly.”—T. J. Klune, The New York Times“Combines the best of Lovecraft and Doyle.”—Matt Dinniman, New York Times

**NATIONAL BESTSELLER • HUGO AWARD FINALIST • ONE OF BOOKPAGE’S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • AN ELLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEARThe eccentric detective Ana Dolabra matches wits with a seemingly omniscient adversary in this brilliant fantasy-mystery from the author of The Tainted Cup.**“Wonderfully clever and compulsively readable . . . another winning blend of fantasy and classic detection.”—Publishers WeeklyIn the cant...

Detective Ana Dolabra must prove a condemned man’s innocence and confront a terrifying magical technology in this fantasy-mystery from the bestselling author of The Tainted Cup, winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy awards.The heir to one of the Empire’s most powerful families sits in jail, accused of murder. His hands are covered in the victim’s blood, and he can neither deny his guilt nor explain his actions.But if the great detective Ana Dolabra ...

From one of our most talented and original new literary voices comes the next great American supernatural novel: a work that explores the dark dimensions of the hometowns and the neighbors we thought we knew.Some places are too good to be true.Under a pink moon, there is a perfect little town not found on any map: Wink, New Mexico.In that town, there are quiet streets lined with pretty houses, houses that conceal the strangest things.After a...

SCIENCE FICTION Ultimate Box Set gathers more than 170 foundational tales of speculation, catastrophe, discovery, and social transformation. Its immense range moves from lunar voyages, subterranean realms, and lost civilizations to mechanized futures, plague-stricken societies, totalitarian states, and post-apocalyptic survival. Romance, Gothic terror, satire, adventure narrative, philosophical fable, scientific extrapolation, and utopian and dystopian fiction coexist here, revealing scien...

A special omnibus edition, collecting all three books of Robert Jackson Bennett’s acclaimed Divine Cities trilogy in a single volume.In a world where terrifying, capricious gods once walked the earth, enslaving and brutalizing millions, three unforgettable protagonists struggle to come to terms with the mysteries these divinities left behind— and to make sure these cruel masters do not rise again.In City of Stairs, an unassuming young woman named S...

“The exciting beginning of a promising new epic fantasy series. Prepare for ancient mysteries, innovative magic, and heart-pounding heists.”—Brandon Sanderson“Complex characters, magic that is tech and vice versa, a world bound by warring trade dynasties: Bennett will leave you in awe once you remember to breathe!”—Tamora PierceIn a city that runs on industrialized magic, a secret war will be fought to overwrite reality itself—the first...

HUGO AND LOCUS AWARD FINALIST • In the first book of an epic fantasy trilogy, master spy Shara Thivani investigates a murder in a mysterious city of dead gods, living assassins, and buried histories, from the nationally bestselling author of The Tainted Cup.“Readers seeking a truly refreshing fantasy milieu should travel to Bulikov, and welcome its conquest.”—N. K. Jemison, The New York TimesWith the gods on its side, the ...

Enjoy this meticulously edited SF Collection, jam-packed with space adventures, dystopian apocalyptic tales and the greatest sci-fi classics: H. G. Wells: The Time Machine The War of the Worlds The Island of Doctor Moreau The Invisible Man… Jules Verne: Journey to the Center of the Earth 20.000 Leagues under the Sea The Mysterious Island… Mary Shelley: Frankenstein The Last Man Edgar Wallace: Planetoid 127 The Green Rust… Otis Adelbert Kline: The Venus Trilogy The Mars Series Malcolm James...