Full Description
This book examines the UK's enduring 'permacrisis' - austerity policies, Brexit, climate change, inflation, and the rising cost of living - through the lens of the policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic as part of a policy continuum.
It demonstrates that the policy continuum cannot be considered as a mere attempt to tackle a range of social and economic issues but also as contributing to forging the permacrisis sui generis. The volume concludes that the government's policy responses before, during and after the pandemic presented various flaws in governance, leadership and execution, constituting a crucial part of the permacrisis in the UK. Evidencing this through its assessment of policy outcomes in a number of key public policy fields, such as care, education, healthcare, mental health and housing, the book explores the impact of the pandemic on wide-ranging and long-term inequalities and vulnerable populations.
This book is of key interest to scholars and students of British Politics, policy studies and, more broadly, to sociology and social policy.
Contents
Introduction Part 1: The impact of COVID-19 on UK society and vulnerable groups 1. The COVID-19 pandemic and the North-South divide in England 2. The joint effect of deprivation during the COVID-19 pandemic in England: How did contextual and individual experiences affect health-related behaviours? 3. Caring during the COVID-19 crisis: The experiences of unpaid carers of older people with dementia in Wales through a well-being analysis 4. The COVID-19 pandemic as a compounding factor to the poor mental health of young people in Northern Ireland Part 2: Policy responses during the crisis and in its immediate aftermath: The features of crisis management 5. Support services for young fathers in England before and during COVID-times 6. Free School Meals in England during the COVID-19 pandemic: 'No child should be going hungry' 7. The COVID-19 pandemic in England and Scotland: A critical juncture in homelessness policy? Part 3: Policy temporalities beyond the immediate crisis 8. Health inequalities, structural racism and the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of racially and ethnic minoritised groups in England 9. The 'hostile environment' logic and the UK's health crisis during the pandemic and beyond 10. Tackling inequalities in English schools in the time of COVID-19: What lessons can be learnt? 11. Rebuilding the education system in England post-COVID: Tension points and possibilities 12. Understanding COVID-19 and its context of existing health inequalities in the UK: The importance of a conceptual frame for developing coherent theory and action. Conclusion
