John Offer
John William Offer (born 1949 in Wokingham, Berkshire) is a British sociologist who serves as Professor of Social Theory and Policy at Ulster University. His most recent book is Social Policy and Welfare Pluralism: Selected Writings of Robert Pinker, jointly edited by John Offer and Robert Pinker, published by Policy Press in 2017. Beginning in October, 2021 he will hold a Leverhulme Trust Major Research Fellowship for the project 'Spencer's Sociology: A Study in Retrieval and Revival'. Career. John Offer was the son of Gilbert and Doris Offer and grew up in the Berkshire village of Finchampstead . He attended the Forest Grammar School near Wokingham. He graduated from Keele University with an undergraduate degree in philosophy and sociology, and then completed his doctorate in sociology (PhD) under the supervision of Professor Ronnie Frankenberg there, which was awarded in 1978 for his thesis entitled "Herbert Spencer's sociology of welfare". He subsequently taught at the University of Ulster, successively as Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and since 2000 as Professor of Social Theory and Policy. From 2010 to 2014, he was Chair of the Editorial Board of journal "Sociology" and in 2012 he was elected Fellow of the Academy of  Social Sciences (FAcSS). He is Specialty Chief Editor for Sociological Theory for the journal Frontiers in Sociology. Research. Offer's research has focused on the welfare state and the ideas of Herbert Spencer and Robert Pinker. His published works include: