Conservative Party Economic Policy

Dr. Richard Wade read economics at the University of Warwick before being awarded postgraduate degrees in history and in government from the University of Essex, UK. He has taught US politics, international relations, international political economy and quantitative methods and has also worked in corporate banking.

• Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Conservatism, the Conservative Party and Political Economy 2. The Conservative Party and its Microeconomic Polices, 1964-97 3. The Conservative Party and the Labour Market, 1964-97 4. The Conservative Party and its Macroeconomic Policies, 1964-97 5. The Conservative Party and the Economy since 1997 6. Conclusions List of Sources Index

The book's strength lies in its meticulous examination of original documents in the Conservative Party and National Archives, in the extensive range of interviews with key players and in its demonstration that policy-making has implicitly drawn on the twin strands of Tory paternalism and Whig liberalism.Sir Douglas Wass, Former Permanent Secretary to HM Treasury.Richard Wade has produced a definitive study of economic policy-making in the Conservative party from Edward Heath' premiership to the fall of John Major's government in 1997. The analysis provides a comprehensive analysis of what happened in the years when Mrs Thatcher was in Downing Street and lucidly explains why it happened. This was a period of dramatic change which shaped subsequent economic policy, making the book is a 'must read' for anyone trying to understand the origins of contemporary economic policy.Paul Whiteley, Department of Government, University of Essex, UK.