I am delighted to say that The Welfare State We're In has just won the 2007 Sir Anthony Fisher Memorial Award which is awarded by the Atlas Foundation in America. More precisely, the award is made to the think tank or institute which is associated with what the judges regard as the best publication (presumably published in the previous year). The book won the Sir Anthony Fisher award in the 'established institute' category (there are two other categories). I am told that there were over 70 entrants.
The Institute of Economic Affairs has become associated with The Welfare State We're In in several ways since it was written. For example, it has arranged for one of its sponsors to pay for distribution to all Members of Parliament and all working members of the House of Lords. It also made a bulk purchase of the original hardback edition and then, again, of the revised and extended paperback edition (which won this new award). It also arranged for me to be made the Earhart Foundation Senior Fellow in Social Policy at the I.E.A. for two years (2005, I think, and the current year).
It is a great honour and I would like to thank both the Atlas Foundation and the Institute of Economic Affairs.
But I also want to add that the book was written entirely before I received any funds or agreed to receive funds from any of the above organisations. I considered it very important from the outset that this should be my own book written without any pressure - even unintended or self-imposed pressure - from any organisation at all. Nor did I want anyone to be able to suggest that the book was written to fit in with the 'line' of any organisation. The Welfare State We're In is entirely my own work. I wrote it because I passionately believe that the message in it is true and important.
Posted by James Bartholomew • Indexed in About James Bartholomew
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Well done on your award. The book deserves the award.
Posted by: Dr Blue at May 1, 2007 11:13 PM
Your research is a damming inditement on the way our country is run and on the over paid buffoons whom we elect to run it. Your research will become the hand book of people such as myself who have argued for the need for fundamental political change in the way this country is governed.
Posted by: Cam Poulter at May 7, 2007 06:58 PM
An excellently written and potent read, "unputdownable"!! It confirms what intuitively I, as a non academic and economics pygmy have been thinking for years. As with the JFK and MLK assassinations, people will swallow anything rather than face the truth. Politicos have for decades refused to notice the elephant in the room in the vain hope that somehow it will blend in with the furniture. I was however surprised by the average manual male earnings for 1949 363 pounds? I thought that it would have been much less!! I was born in 1945 so I do have some knowledge of the 50's. I look forward to further reading. I live in Thailand and having contributed all my life to the British state pension scheme and await with much interest for the outcome of my investment?
Posted by: Barry Stevens at April 25, 2008 10:37 AM
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I just read the book and it deserves the award.
Although sadly I think it will be equally true in 30 years time but we never know.
I'd love to know what mps thin about it.
Posted by: David at May 1, 2007 10:30 AM