"With the policy agenda of the last government set to continue, [this] work deserves to be read and consulted widely." Carys Roberts, Progress Online
"Does the financial crisis and its aftermath represent a key turning point in the history of the UK welfare state? This is an essential resource for anyone interested in UK social policy." Jonathan Portes, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, UK
"This book offers a reference guide for readers who want facts, figures and a meticulous analysis of social policy in order to critique the claims that make headline news." Frontline Magazine
"Analysis of the high quality we have come to expect from these authors - a vital contribution to current debates about the fundamental policy principles and goals of the welfare state." Fran Bennett, University of Oxford
"An essential addition to the bookshelves of anyone who studies or is involved in UK social policy" - Journal of Social Policy
"The authors provide sophisticated levels of analysis and [present] intricate data." LSE Review of Books
"Hats off to CASE for another in their invaluable series on whether social policy is meeting its goal of a fairer society. This authoritative account of social policy and wellbeing from 2007 to 2015 is chilling but essential reading." Jane Waldfogel, Columbia University, USA
"Another superb assessment of UK social policies, this time in the face of austerity, from the anti-cyclical policies of Labour through to the end of the austerity coalition. So authoritative, resourceful and speedy!" Jonathan Bradshaw, University of York, UK
"A one-stop shop for an authoritative and measured assessment of the response to the crisis by the Labour government and of the unfortunate policies of the 2010-15 Coalition – which is what you’d expect from this team." Peter Taylor-Gooby, University of Kent

John Hills is Richard Titmuss Professor of Social Policy and Co-Director of the International Inequalities Institute at the London School of Economics. He has written extensively on inequality, public policy and the welfare state. He was a member of the Pensions Commission and Chair of the National Equality Panel for the Labour government and led a review of the measurement of fuel poverty for the Coalition government. He was knighted in 2013 for services to the development of social policy.