The social construction of expertise

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.