'Australia's Welfare Wars Revisited' by Philip Mendes
'Australia's Welfare Wars Revisited'
by Philip Mendes
This represents a substantial revision of Philip Mendes’ successful textbook Australia’s Welfare Wars, in which the author explains – and questions – many of the values and assumptions that underpin contemporary social welfare policies. In particular, the book is critical of the Neo-liberal or Economic rationalist ideas that now dominate the welfare debates in Australia and overseas, and instead demonstrates and reaffirms the ongoing relevance of social-democratic and welfare-state ideals.
Over the past two decades, the Australian welfare state has been a hotly contested political terrain. In Philip Mendes' acclaimed 2003 book, Australia’s Welfare Wars, he explicitly examined the role played by ideology and lobby groups in determining welfare state outcomes.
Now with a change of government at the federal level, Mendes has brought the book completely up to date. This new edition includes:
- a detailed and critical analysis of Coalition Government policies including Work Choices and Welfare to Work
- some suggested practical alternative directions for the new ALP government
- an analysis of current levels of welfare spending in Australia
- coverage of the Jewish and Muslim teachings on social justice
- several new case studies
With specific reference to up-to-date theories about globalisation, Australia’s Welfare Wars Revisited questions many of the key assumptions that underpin contemporary social welfare policies and argues for the reaffirmation of social democratic and welfare state ideals.
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