Book excerpt: Social Policy Review 22 presents a diverse review of the best in social policy scholarship. It brings together specially commissioned reviews of key areas, research examining important debates in the field, and considers a range of issues including assessments of Labour's social policy after three terms in office, service-user involvement and the labour market impact of the economic crisis along with the winner of the SPA's best postgraduate paper award. It is essential reading for academics and students in the field, but more generally for anyone interested in contemporary social policy.