Welfare states vary across nations and change over time. And the balance between markets and government; free enterprise and social protection is perennially in question. But all developed societies have welfare states of one kind or another - they are a fundamental dimension of modern government.

And even after decades of free-market criticism and reform, their core institutions have proven resilient and popular. This Very Short Introduction describes the modern welfare state, explaining its...

Global, multi-faceted, and applied: the most contemporary introduction to leadership, which considers individual, organizational, and societal perspectives. Providing a robust and engaging overview of the leadership field, Exploring Leadership is a highly practical and insightful guide that supports the personal and professional development of both aspiring and experienced leaders. Investigating the complex dynamics of power, identity and purpose in organizations and wider society, this essen...

This is a book about the big questions in life: knowledge, consciousness, fate, God, truth, goodness, justice. It is for anyone who believes there are big questions out there, but does not know how to approach them. Think sets out to explain what they are and why they are important.

Simon Blackburn begins by putting forward a convincing case for the study of philosophy and goes on to give the reader a sense of how the great historical figures such as Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Wittgenstein ha...

Since the time of Aristotle, there had been a clear divide between the three kingdoms of animal, vegetable, and mineral. But by the eighteenth century, biological experiments, and the wide range of new creatures coming to Europe from across the world, challenged these neat divisions. Abraham Trembley found that freshwater polyps grew into complete individuals when cut.

This shocking discovery raised deep questions: was it a plant or an animal? And this was not the only conundrum. What of cora...