Judith Bessant is a Professor in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University, Australia.Rys Farthing is a consultant based in London, UK. Rob Watts is a Professor in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University, Australia.

• Introduction1. The state of play: how young people are faring2. A political economy of generations3. Neoliberal social policy and young people4. Intergenerational equity and justice 5. Broken promise: human capital theory, education and work6. Penalizing the young and the justice System7. Young people making sense of it 8. Taking action: young people and politics9. A new intergenerational contractConclusion

This fascinating volume on the political economy of young people is a great resource for students and researchers in the social sciences. It draws on a wealth of evidence including young people’s own stories, to document their opportunities, challenges and problems in increasingly unequal societies including America, Britain, Australia, France and Spain.The book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding the conditions faced by young people today but also for making sense of what could be done to solve these problems and redevelop a new politics that can offer real opportunities and raise living standards for future generations. In this sense, the book is a celebration of the importance and centrality of politics for shaping our destinies as societies.Maria Grasso, British Journal of Sociology, 2018