The Divisive State of Social Policy

Shortlisted for the 2020 Philip Abrams Memorial Prize.

The ‘Bedroom Tax’ has been one of the most contentious aspects of the UK government’s austerity politics. In this book, Kelly Bogue provides an authoritative assessment of its social impacts.

The Divisive State of Social Policy traces the links between housing resources and societal tensions by looking closely at one housing estate. The book explores issues related to Housing Benefit reform, including housing precarity, poverty and damage to social networks.

This is a vivid picture of the sharp end of austerity politics and welfare reform, and it gets to the heart of the meanings of home and community in the UK today.