Drawing on a lifetime’s experience and research in education, Frank Coffield brings together some of his previously published papers to assess the impact of a wide range of national educational policies and to examine the role of the state in public education. He concludes that damage has been done to education by political parties of both right and left and that damage will not be reversed until: further, vocational and adult education receive the same levels of commitment and resource as other sectors; serious steps are taken to tackle Britain’s unacceptable levels of poverty; and the powers of the state are reduced. Among the unresolved challenges highlighted are the plight of young people from deprived estates; their tactics in dealing with unemployment; the task of improving learning, schools, inspection, and system governance; the failure to increase productivity being blamed solely on education; and the dysfunctional and undemocratic political framework on which education reform is forced to depend. An essential read for anyone in education, this provocative criticism of our past and current educational 'system' provides an accessible as well as a humorous critique of educational policy and politics.

The author's experience of applying the social sciences in organizations must be unique. Her work is grounded in research but much of her professional activity has been in application, combining the methods and findings of research with an understanding of dynamics in working with organizations. Moving between research and practice she has, for nearly forty years, pursued the aim of rendering the social sciences useful and practical in organizational life. This collection of papers brings together wide-ranging material that is highly relevant to today's world, whilst also providing a useful historical overview of the field. The links between research, policy and practice are brought vividly to life, the many examples creating a thread that connects theory with operational reality. The author provides an insightful and significant theory of practice, developed through vignettes of her work and experience that make this a very readable and engaging book.

Illustrated with a wide range of case studies drawn from all parts of the world, POPULATION GEOGRAPHY clearly depicts the cause-and-effect links between demographic change and the socio-economic transformation of societies. Providing timely information in a clear and accessible style, the text is an ideal classroom text for instructors who are introducing their students to the topic of population geography.

In Britain the phrase ‘child labour’ is associated with the past, with children going up chimneys and down mines. However, in reality British children continue to perform arduous jobs, and British multinationals exploit child workers across the globe. This book explores the theoretical context of child labour research before considering the history of child labour and concluding with the present situation in the UK and USA.