Fragmented Policy Change

Coming soon: Fragmented Policy Change. 

My book is forthcoming in November 2026 with Cambridge University Press!

Reviews:

‘With meticulous research and a sharp eye, Labarca reconstructs the conflicts and coalitions that gave us Thatcherism as we know it, upending long-standing assumptions about one of the most important political transformations of the twentieth century. A must-read for any serious scholar of neoliberalism, policy change, and state budgets.’ Sarah Quinn, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Washington.

‘This is an outstanding inter-disciplinary exploration of the political economy of fiscal policy-making which shows brilliantly how fiscal indicators and symbolic fiscal practices shape policy outcomes. Its empirically and theoretically rich analysis of the contested epistemic politics of the official knowledge infrastructures through which economic policy is made challenges existing interpretations in political economy, economic sociology, and economic history.’ Ben Clift, Professor of Political Economy, University of Warwick. 

‘Fragmented Policy Change provides a deeply researched and theoretically sophisticated analysis of fiscal policy-making in post-war Britain. By exploring how Treasury officials constructed and reframed the Public Sector Borrowing Requirement during the 1960s and 1970s, José Tomás Labarca reveals the politics that lies beneath economic indicators and forces us to rethink established narratives about Keynesianism and neoliberalism.’ Peter Sloman, Professor of British Politics, University of Cambridge.