The Young, the Old and the State

  By Anneli Anttonen, John Baldock, Jorma Sipila.
  Edward Elgar Publishing 
  ISBN 1 84064 628 499
  £49.95   

This book is the latest in a series that examine globalisation and its impact on different aspects of social welfare. In seven chapters, the authors provide a comparative account of social care services for children and older people in five industrial nations: Finland, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US. 

Detailed and contextually rich descriptions of contemporary care arrangements are strengthened by an exploration of the historical, social and cultural backdrops to the development of care systems in the five countries.  

Also, the authors successfully integrate consideration of the impact of social care policies and provision on people’s lives in each of the five nations. The background research to the book is used to form the basis of a theoretical approach for social care systems. 

This book provides a significant contribution to the literature on comparative social welfare, as it goes beyond explanation of similarities and differences, to consider the consequences of social care patterns for users of the welfare systems analysed. It will appeal to academics, researchers, policymakers and students. 

Karin Crawford is senior lecturer in social work, Hull School of Health and Social Care, University of Lincoln.