Synopses & Reviews
This book offers a major new analysis of the political economy in Britain over the past 1,000 years. The author demonstrates an impressive and thorough knowledge of law, economics, politics, medicine and social history. The assessment of the privatisation of the public income and its consequences represents an astonishing tour-de-force.On fairness and efficiency:engages in a wide-ranging sweep of history from pre-Norman times to the present;gives a lucid explanation of the complex economic and political history of Britain that has given rise to the present state of Welfare Capitalism;has great contemporary relevance.·[vbTab]The fundamental links between the distributions of health and wealth in society is of concern to the medical profession, public health professionals, welfare economists, political scientists/politicians, moralists and philosophers.
Review
Besides being a good read, this is a major reference work, and will be well-thumbed by scholars for generations to come. Mason Gaffney
Review
A timely and important reminder of the deep historical roots of inequalities in income and wealth, and how these influence health inequalities, among other aspects of quality of life. Policies aimed at reducing such inequities need to consider the evidence on their fundamental causes presented here. George Davey Smith
Review
... certainly a book that should be bought by libraries, and can be dipped into profitably by students and professionals looking to understand more about how and why our welfare state has developed as it has. Journal of Public Health Medicine
Review
This book may be expensive, but it is worth the investment. It constitutes one of the few works of reference to which social activities can turn for authoritative documentation of the evidence in support of the arguements that modern governments should base public finance on the rent of land and natural resources. Land & Liberty
Synopsis
This book offers a major new analysis of the political economy in Britain over the past 1,000 years. The author demonstrates an impressive and thorough knowledge of law, economics, politics, medicine and social history. The assessment of the privatisation of the public income and its consequences represents an astonishing tour-de-force.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 435-459) and index.
About the Author
George Miller, MRC Epidemiology and Medical Care Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine
Table of Contents
List of tables
Preface
Acknowledgements
Part I: Looking through the welfare state
Introduction
1. The poor and their health: the early record
2. 'Gone too soon': mortality and income in modern times
3. Rent and the dysfunctional economy
4. Sickening unemployment
5. The palliation of penury: socialised education, health and security since 1921
6. Squalor: the affordability of housing
7. Rent for reconstruction
Part II: The lethal legacy
8. An aristocracy of service: Rent before its privatisation
9. An aristocracy of privatised Rent
10. From the Dane-geld to direct taxes: parliamentary representation and taxation
11. The dearth and the dole: the State and the able-bodied unemployed
12. The English tyranny and the able-bodied employed
13. The battle for Rent and Welfare. Part I: 1880–1905
14. The battle for Rent and Welfare. Part II: 1906 onwards
Bibliography
Index