The social construction of expertise
Subtitle: the English civil service and its influence, 1919-1939
By: Gail Savage.
Series: Pittseries in policy and institutional studies
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
Published: 1996
Place of publication: Pittsburgh, Pa
Language: eng
Number of pages: 238
Subjects: Civil service -- Great Britain.; Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1910-1936.; Great Britain -- Politics andgovernment -- 1936-1945.; Great Britain -- Economic policy -- 1918-1945.; Great Britain -- Social policy.
Description: The British created a system wherein the social identity of civil servants clearly influenced their position on official matters. This privileged class then set the tone for major policy decisions affecting all members of society.

Savage addresses the social construction of power inside the British state by analyzing the social origins and career patterns of higher-level civil servants as a backdrop for investigating the way four different social service ministries formulated particular policies between the world wars: the Board of Education, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Labour, and the Ministry of Health. This social history brings a fresh perspective and new research to scholars in a variety of disciplines.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 205-231) and index.