This accessible new text introduces students to contemporary European societies by examining structures of inequality, making sense of the empirical and historical contexts.Focusing on seven differing European societies (France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the UK), it examines the different ways in which sociology and political economy understand the social structure of contemporary Europe. Separate chapters outline key aspects of inequality, beginning with income, ...

Few gardens have constant sun, but this doesn't mean they have to be gloomy. Even the most shaded gardens can be full of colour and variety. Packed with expert instruction on planting and aftercare, and full-colour photography accompanying each gardening idea, 101 Shade-loving Plants is full of diverse ideas to suit all gardens. Banish the dark from shady gardens once and for all.

This book examines Polish migration to Ireland in the context of ‘new mobilities in Europe’. It includes detailed accounts of the working lives of a group of mainly skilled Polish migrants in Dublin. They were interviewed at regular intervals as part of a Qualitative Panel Study. Through this novel methodology, their careers and aspirations were traced as Ireland moved from ‘boom to bust’. What the research documents is a new experience of mobility which, it is suggested, is indicative of ...

This wide-ranging and comparative text reviews the major theoretical and substantive debates on social inequality in Europe. It provides a valuable dual focus on European society and individual societies while placing Europe in its wider global context.Demonstrating the continued importance of national difference within Europe, the author argues that nonetheless the European Social Model has softened social inequalities such as those of wealth and income distribution, social class,...

Since the third edition of this authoritative volume, most of Western Europe and North America have entered an era of austerity which has pervasive effects on programmes of public management reform. Even in Australasia extensive measures of fiscal restraint have been implemented. In this fourth edition the basic structure of the book has been retained but there has been a line-by-line rewriting, including the addition of extensive analyses and information about the impacts of austerity. Ma...

Since the 1980s, the process of European economic integration, within a wider context of globalization, has accelerated employment change and placed a new premium on ‘flexible’ forms of work organization. The institutions of employment relations, specifically those concerning collective bargaining between employers and trade unions, have had to adapt accordingly. The Transformation of Employment Relations focuses not just on recent change, but charts the strategic choices that hav...

Bringing together the work of economists and sociologists in research programmes in a number of European institutions concerned with development, this collection analyses how social institutions contribute to an understanding of development. It shows how labour markets, labour relations and employment patterns respond to institutional forces, and thereby shape development paths and determine how different groups benefit from economic growth.

This book explores the roles and visions foundations have of, and for, themselves in the new Europe.The leading contributors go beyond a quantitative profile of foundations in Europe, and probe deeper into their role and contributions in meeting the economic, cultural, environmental and educational needs of European societies. Includes a mapping and appraisal of foundation visions, policies and strategies, and an overall assessment of the current and future policy environment in wh...

The complex diffusion processes affecting the flow of planning ideas and practices across the globe are illustrated in this book. It raises questions about why and how some ideas and practices attract international attention, and about the invention processes which go on when external influences are woven together with local efforts to meet local specifics and requirements.Initiated to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the journal Planning Theory and Practice in 2009, thi...

Got clay soil? Need advice on the best plants to grow? Award winning expert Graham Rice explains how to amend clay soil so your can enjoy a wider range of plants and recommends the best plants to grow. He provides descriptive selections of attractive trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, bulbs and annuals for your clay soil. The right plants can solve your clay soil problem. North American Edition.

In an industry of higher education that measures the longevity of its leading institutions in decades and centuries, the establishment and rapid growth of the eight-year-old Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School), National University of Singapore, is a remarkable story that deserves to be told. The five co-authors, all of whom were involved in guiding the School during its formative years, provide unique perspectives of key events and the thinking behind major decisions that hel...

Think tanks are proliferating. Although they are outside of government, many of these policy research institutes are perceived to influence political thinking and public policy. This book develops ideas about policy networks, epistemic communities and policy learning in relation to think tanks.