This story of class conflict in Victorian England serves as a powerful critique of the social injustices that plagued the Industrial Revolution. Always concerned with issues of class, social injustice, and employment, Dickens shows in Hard Times, written in 1854, a broader concern with the philosophies and economic movements which underlie those issues. Three parallel story lines reflect a broad cross-section of society and its thinking. This edition includes: -A concise introduction that gives the reader important background information -A chronology of the author's life and work -A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context -An outline of key themes and plot points to guide the reader's own interpretations -Detailed explanatory notes -Critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work -Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction -A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience

What happens to European Union (EU) fiscal policy coordination in hard times? Recent accounts of the EU have portrayed the union as plagued by an austerity regime and rampant moral hazard. Charlotte Rommerskirchen provides an alternative account of economic cooperation in Europe during the Great Recession and the European Debt Crisis. Drawing on Mancur Olson's theory of collective action, this volume combines evidence from statistical analysis and extensive interviews with key players. This book reaches an unexpected conclusion regarding the state of collective action in times of crises: Free riding was not rife. Despite heated accusations, member states crisis policies matched their fiscal room for manoeuvre. The real collective action failure is instead diagnosed in the inability to sanction free riders at the EU level and empowering erratic bond markets to discipline governments.

The purpose of the edited collection Families in Economically Hard Times: Experiences and Coping Strategies in Europe is to provide readers with unique sociological knowledge on European families' experiences and behavioural strategies a decade after economic crisis of the 21st century.

Food is fundamental to health and social participation, yet food poverty has increased in the global North. Adopting a realist ontology and taking a comparative case approach, Families and Food in Hard Times addresses the global problem of economic retrenchment and how those most affected are those with the least resources. Based on research carried out with low-income families with children aged 11-15, this timely book examines food poverty in the UK, Portugal and Norway in the decade following the 2008 financial crisis. It examines the resources to which families have access in relation to public policies, local institutions and kinship and friendship networks, and how they intersect. Through ‘thick description’ of families’ everyday lives, it explores the ways in which low income impacts upon practices of household food provisioning, the types of formal and informal support on which families draw to get by, the provision and role of school meals in children’s lives, and the constraints upon families’ social participation involving food. Providing extensive and intensive knowledge concerning the conditions and experiences of low-income parents as they endeavour to feed their families, as well as children’s perspectives of food and eating in the context of low income, the book also draws on the European social science literature on food and families to shed light on the causes and consequences of food poverty in austerity Europe.

"The current fiscal crisis is clearly having a negative impact on our schools. This book offers practical strategies to overcome obstacles and constraints, and is essential for all school leaders." —David Freitas, Professor Indiana University South Bend "This reader-friendly and relatable book speaks directly to the practitioner, offering down-to-earth advice and realistic examples." —David L. Flynn, Director, Commission on Public Elementary and Middle Schools, Adjunct Professor of Educational Administration New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Bedford, MA, and Cambridge College, MA A win-win solution to the battle of the budget Are you challenged to improve your school′s productivity with existing or even diminishing resources? It can be done, and School Budgeting for Hard Times will show you how. Author William K. Poston, Jr. has fought and won many budget battles. He and renowned educator Fenwick W. English, who provides the book′s foreword, contend that the needs of curriculum and learning should drive the budgeting process—not the other way around. The solution is implementing performance-based budgeting. This text gives step-by-step instructions for: Using assessment data to determine budget priorities Applying quality enhancement principles to the process Incorporating measurable performance to attain funding Discover how to do more with less. These proven strategies will help you attain the truly important goals while avoiding the dire cutbacks that threaten local educational systems′ effectiveness.

Demonstrates why elections fail to promote democracy when countries lack democratic experience and are held during civil conflict.

One of the volumes of the popular Protestant Pulpit Exchange series, this volume focuses on the ways in which preachers can make use of Biblical passages to help listeners deal with hard times in their lives. This universal issue is addressed in compassionate and helpful ways in this collection of sermons.

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. How has austerity impacted on health and wellbeing in the UK? Health in Hard Times explores its repercussions for social inequalities in health. The result of five years of research, the book draws on a case study of Stockton-on-Tees in the north-east of England, home to some of the starkest health divides. By placing individual and local experiences in the context of national budget cuts and welfare reforms, it provides a holistic perspective on countrywide inequalities. Edited by a leading expert, this is an important book for anyone seeking to understand one of today’s most significant determinants of health.

Gary N. Chaison addresses questions implicit in the decline of unions in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.