Book Reviews

In this section of the blog you can read reviews of all the latest books relevant to British politics and policy. Each Sunday we publish a review originating from the LSE Review of Books, aiming to cover a wide range of academic and non-academic books on all aspects of public policy and politics. Whether you’re interested in Benjamin Disraeli’s influence on David Cameron’s policies, the inside story of the Miliband Labour leadership battle, or the history of women in British politics since the 1700s, you’re sure to find all the essential information on these pages. Scroll down to browse the archive.

If you’d like to read more reviews of academic titles from across the social sciences, visit our sister blog, the LSE Review of Books. And if you’re interested in writing a review for the blog or if you would like to see your book reviewed here, please contact our our book reviews editor Amy Mollett at lsereviewofbooks@lse.ac.uk.

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    Book Review: The Hidden Wealth of Nations: The Scourge of Tax Havens by Gabriel Zucman

Book Review: The Hidden Wealth of Nations: The Scourge of Tax Havens by Gabriel Zucman

In The Hidden Wealth of Nations: The Scourge of Tax Havens, Gabriel Zucman makes a provocative argument about the large-scale evasion of taxes as well as how to tackle this global issue. Antonio De Vito highly recommends this concise, nontechnical and clearly argued book to everyone interested in understanding how the international financial system is making illegal use of tax […]

November 20th, 2016|Antonio de Vito, Book Reviews, Economy and Society, Featured|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: The Coalition Effect, 2010-2015 edited by Anthony Seldon & Mike Finn

Book Review: The Coalition Effect, 2010-2015 edited by Anthony Seldon & Mike Finn

In The Coalition Effect, 2010-2015, Anthony Seldon and Mike Finn offer a volume of essays examining the impact of the Coalition government of 2010-2015 on British politics. While the hindsight enabled by the 2015 General Election result and the recent Brexit vote means that the precise legacies of the Coalition are still unfolding, this is an indispensable text that provides intriguing, […]

November 13th, 2016|Book Reviews, Featured, Jim McConalogue|0 Comments|
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Book Review: Metric Power by David Beer

In Metric Power, David Beer examines the intensifying role that metrics play in our everyday lives, from healthcare provision to our interactions with friends and family, within the context of the so-termed data revolution. This is a book that illustrates our growing implication in, and arguable acquiescence to, an increasingly quantified world, but, Thomas Christie Williams asks, where do we […]

November 6th, 2016|Book Reviews, British and Irish Politics and Policy, David Beer, Economy and Society, Featured|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: The Right to Buy? Selling Off Public and Social Housing by Alan Murie

Book Review: The Right to Buy? Selling Off Public and Social Housing by Alan Murie

Introduced under the Thatcher government, ‘Right to Buy’ has had a formative effect on housing in the UK for the past 35 years. In The Right to Buy? Selling Off Public and Social Housing, Alan Murie examines the policy’s long-standing and ongoing impact, and considers the implications of its more recent extension. While more explicit political analysis of the […]

October 30th, 2016|Book Reviews, British and Irish Politics and Policy, Economy and Society, Featured, John Picton, Public Services and the Welfare State, Uncategorized|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: Preventive Detention of Terror Suspects: A New Legal Framework by Diane Webber

Book Review: Preventive Detention of Terror Suspects: A New Legal Framework by Diane Webber

In Preventive Detention of Terror Suspects: A New Legal Framework, Diane Webber offers a comprehensive analysis of preventive detention as a much-criticised counter-terrorism tool, examining the legal frameworks relating to the detention of terror suspects across multiple jurisidictions, including the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, India, Israel and France. Alexis Bushnell welcomes this as a timely and valuable reference point […]

October 23rd, 2016|Alexis Bushnell, Book Reviews, Featured|0 Comments|
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Ctrl + Z: The Right to be Forgotten by Meg Leta Jones

As more and more data is collected, shared and circulated online, should there be a right for this to be deleted, hidden or anonymised at one’s request? In Ctrl + Z: The Right to be Forgotten, Meg Leta Jones analyses this emerging debate and proposes new ways of thinking about the right to privacy in an increasingly digital world. […]

October 16th, 2016|Book Reviews, Featured|0 Comments|
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Politics: Between the Extremes by Nick Clegg

The UK government of 2010-2015 was the first UK Coalition since 1945 and faced the consequences of the 2008 financial crash. In Politics: Between the Extremes, former Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg explains the challenges of being the small, Liberal partner in the Coalition, and argues forcefully for the importance of a politics of compromise. Joe […]

October 9th, 2016|Book Reviews, Featured|0 Comments|
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    Book Review: Strangers in Our Midst: The Political Philosophy of Immigration

Book Review: Strangers in Our Midst: The Political Philosophy of Immigration

In Strangers in Our Midst: The Political Philosophy of Immigration, David Miller defends the ability of states to control their borders and exercise the right to exclude immigrants on the basis of community goals and preferences. Alex Sager argues that the book’s central argument regarding this ‘weak cosmopolitan’ position is largely founded on myth, omission and the misrepresentation of empirical evidence; thus, while it may […]

September 18th, 2016|Book Reviews, Featured|0 Comments|
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This work by British Politics and Policy at LSE is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.