This article presents a review of relevant literature on the issue of the governance of activation. The article starts with some general comments on the state of the art of research on the governance of activation. Putting governance into practice in new service provision models in the policy areas of activation and social policy, the review continues with a discussion of publications on some of the characteristics of these models: marketisation, decentralisation, inter-agency cooperation and individualisation of service provision. It also looks at literature on the implementation of activation, as this provides insight into governance issues from an organisational and street-level perspective.

Choice has emerged as a key idea for the reform of public services in the UK and internationally. This paper explores three sets of problems in the analysis of choice in public policy. First, at what level should we be studying choice (specific mechanisms, national politics, transnational processes and travelling ideas)? Second, what sorts of tendencies, forces and discourses are being mobilised through the politics of choice? Third, we examine the ‘antagonisms of choice’: exploring the different and possibly divergent political conflicts that surround choice in public policy. We examine three types of antagonism: around inequalities, power and publicness.

The electronic age has not ignored the existence of Roma, Gypsy and Traveller communities. Detailed below are thirty key websites that provide a variety of information regarding the position of Roma, Gypsies and Travellers across the UK and internationally. The sites are divided into three main categories: government sources, independent sources and international sources. Although this list is not exhaustive, it does illustrate the range of policy issues that touch the lives of Roma, Gypsies and Travellers across the world.

There is little research that explicitly compares the lives of children from different social backgrounds, particularly with regard to their freedom, safety, and use of public space. Drawing on the findings of a participatory research project with 42 children from different socio-economic backgrounds, this article shows how and why children's play differs depending on their social background. It also highlights the importance of street play in the lives of disadvantaged children, arguing that they engage in street play as a consequence of having less space and fewer alternatives, and yet their opportunities for play are further restricted due to local development and community ‘policing’. The article calls for the safeguarding of open public space, and an increased recognition of the importance and value of street play. Finally, it points out the contradictions in government policy regarding children's play and well-being.

‘Choice’ and ‘voice’ are two of the most significant means through which the public are able to participate in public services. Choice agendas position public service users as consumers, driving improvements by choosing good providers over bad, which then thrive through greater allocations of funds as money follows their selections (Le Grand, 2007). Choice-driven reforms tend to be about trying to make public services more locally responsive (Ferlie, Freeman, McDonnell, Petsoulas and Rundle-Smith, 2006). Voice-driven reforms, on the other hand, tend to position public service users as citizens, suggesting an emphasis on accountability mechanisms to drive service improvements through elections, with the possible removal of low regarded officials, or a greater involvement of local people in the running of services (Jenkins, 2006). Voice implies that citizens hold the right to participate in public services either through the political process, or through their direct involvement in the running or delivery of the services themselves. Of course, it is also possible to combine choice and voice mechanisms to try and achieve greater service responsiveness and accountability. In this review, choice reforms will be treated as those which are based upon consumer literature, and voice reforms those based upon attempting to achieve greater citizenship.

Citizenship and consumption are two areas with significant literatures in their own right, but whereas the citizenship literature is widely cited in the social policy literature, the consumption literature appears rather more selectively. This review examines each area in turn in terms of its application to social policy, and then presents a synthesis of commonalties in the two literatures, which represent particularly promising avenues for exploring the relationship between public services and their users.

There is a large variety of journals, from various disciplines or sub-disciplines that have published articles on the issue of the governance of activation.

This review article explores the evidence on child poverty rates amongst different ethnic groups in the UK. The Labour Government aims to end child poverty by 2020. Its strategy rests on improving employability, making work pay and expanding childcare provision. But child poverty rates among ethnic minorities are higher than among white people, which suggests that policies to reduce these have been ineffectual. The factors underlying this differential include labour market disadvantage, insensitive mainstream services and the language barriers that may cause low take-up of services, benefits and tax credits. The article concludes by suggesting a number of policy strategies that government could take to reduce the levels of child poverty amongst ethnic minorities.

In addition to the references cited in each article, below are some other sources relevant to the topics covered by the preceding articles. Although most refer to domestic policy measures, a few offer a more comparative, international perspective. This is not intended to be a comprehensive list, rather a selection of material from a range of sources aiming to provide additional breadth and depth for those interested in child poverty and policy.

Clarke, J., Newman, J., Smith, N., Vidler, E. and Westmarland, L. (2007), Creating Citizen-consumers: Changing Publics and Changing Public Services, London: Paul Chapman Publishing. An important theoretical and empirical contribution to understanding the debates around both citizenship and consumption in the UK