This volume identifies the main changes in the British state since 1945 and evaluates their consequences. It provides students and practitioners with an understanding of the changing public sector and the relationship between these changes and the wider conduct of politics.

Recent academic and political responses to the British state have been influenced by an atmosphere which is increasingly suspicious of hierarchies, bureaucracies and, indeed, the state itself. Tom Ling identifies the factors leading to this development and in the final chapter he evaluates the more important recent responses to the changed atmosphere.

The British State Since 1945 will be widely read by students and practitioners of British politics and public sector change. Its concern with policy-making and policy-implementation also makes it a valuable resource for students of social welfare and economic interventions. Through its evaluation and application of a variety of theoretical and analytical approaches to the question of the British State, this book will also be of interest to everyone concerned with more theoretical debates about the nature of the state and contemporary politics.