Book Review: The Struggle for Social Sustainability. Moral Conflicts in Global Social Policy by Christopher Deeming
| Author | Radosław Mędrzycki |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/13882627221091587 |
| Published date | 01 June 2022 |
| Date | 01 June 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
Christopher Deeming (ed), The Struggle for Social Sustainability. Moral Conflicts in Global Social Policy.
Bristol, Bristol University Press, 382 pages, 2021, ISBN 978-1-4473-5610-3.
Reviewed by: Radosław Mędrzycki ,Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw Poland
DOI: 10.1177/13882627221091587
The Struggle for Social Sustainability: Moral Conflicts in Global Social Policy, edited by
Christopher Deeming, offers a very diverse scientificreflection on issues such as, for example,
social policy, sustainable development, and ageing society. The book consists of 15 substantive
chapters. An index is an essential addition to the whole. Although many of the articles are comple-
mentary, the considerable thematic diversity constantly challenges the coherence of the book. In
this diversity of studies, the axiological perspective indicated in the title is lost, or at least it does
not constitute a permanent point of reference for each chapter.
In the introductory chapter, the editor outlines the many threads related to the core issue. By
reviewing the literature, he shows how the COVID-19 crisis modifies previous perspectives on the
issues discussed. For example, in the face of a pandemic, previous assumptions about achieving
the sustainable development goals are assessed differently. The pandemic also results in a different
view on social divisions, which sharpen instead of diminishing. Yet, as the author underlines:
‘Strong welfare states are once again the best automatic stabilizers in time of crisis (…)’(p. 5 elec-
tronic version (ev)).
John Clarke analyses neoliberalism avoiding simple schemes of the idea in the opening text,
‘“No such thing as society”? Neoliberalism and the social’. The author poses three basic questions:
‘1) What conceptions of “the social”has neoliberalism promoted (rather than attacked)?; 2) What
has happened to older conceptions of “the social”(expressed in social welfare and wider notions of
public-ness?; 3) What are the “emergent”possibilities through which people lay claim to the idea
and sensibility of “the social”?’(p. 28 ev). This challenging text will primarily benefit historians of
ideas and social philosophers.
Bradley W. Bateman, in ‘The social question: reconciling social and economic imperatives in
policy’, leads the reader through a historical-economic analysis and shows attempts to explain the fluc-
tuations of an economy since the 19th century through the prism of unemployment and business cycles.
‘Disputing the economization and the depoliticization of “social”investment in global social
policy’by Jean-Michel Bonvin and Francesco Laruffa isone of the essential articles in the collection
from the point of view of social policy, often based on social investment. The authors consider the
capability approach as a normative framework for evaluating human well-being in the field of devel-
opment and thus as an approach that can reduce ‘political poverty’and foster public deliberation.
Iris Borowy discusses different methods to planning for change regarding the ‘social’dimension
of sustainable development. An interesting aspect of the research is a table comparing the social
topics in the Brundtland Report, Agenda 21, MDGs, and SDGs.
Tony Fitzpatrick addresses the issues of post-productivism. His study shows the wide range of
eco-social policy issues that underlie post-productivism and draws some engaging scenarios for
development.
The contribution by Danny Dorling discusses the problem of the world population’s size. The
author shows that natural growth has slowed down and the general perspective of the continuous,
unstoppable growth of the world population is a myth. At the same time, he tries to outline the
Book Reviews 163
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