Welsh Journals

Search over 450 titles and 1.2 million pages

erent forms of intervention as simply moving poverty around. The editors, in their introductory chapter, express the hope that this volume will inform 'legitimate political action' (p. 30). This is my hope also, and such a hope does lift the gloom of an otherwise de- pressing, but nonetheless valid, set of conclusions. There is much here about which the policy-maker should be concerned and dis- turbed. A small number of examples will suffice. One is that the schools of Wales produce a much higher proportion of leavers who have no formal qualifications at all than do any of the English regions. Another is that the South Wales valleys districts have in David Herbert's terms more unity than diversity' (p. 124). He demons- trates that this area suffers from disproportionately high levels of deprivation. A third example is the evidence cited on employment change: the substitution of low-paying jobs, that are characterised by employment instability (invariably the newer, female-dominated industries) for better paid and more stable employment (invariably the traditional male-dominated industries). There are weaknesses of over-generalisation and thence of super- ficiality from time to time in some chapters. I suspect that many of these arise from the authors' wishes to cover as much ground as possible within the editorial limitations placed upon them. Wilding's use of the dual economy is a case in point. Fisk's catalogue of regional housing differences within Wales is almost totally without meaning since little attempt is made to relate the data to a common base. Gareth Rees's purpose in dismissing the bundle of causes often associated with the depressed area syndrome is clear and appropriate from the point of view of his argument, but his point that these causes of inaction (insufficient and inadequate building land, exhaustion of coal reserves, and so on) can be 'disputed on purely technical grounds' (p. 198) is unfortunately not backed up with evidence. It is to be conceded that this is not part of his mainstream argument but it does nevertheless represent an opportunity lost since such tech- nical and residual arguments are still fairly commonplace. If they can be refuted, they need to be. Taken as a whole this book packs a punch which will not go un- noticed in academic circles. This is not only because it provides some interesting data on poverty and inequality in Wales but also because it presents some interesting and refreshing perspectives with which to view these problems. For these very same reasons one might suggest, rather depressingly, that its impact in policy-making cir- cles is likely to be more limited. Richard H.Morgan University College of Swansea. Cowbridge, Archaeology and Topography. D.M. Robinson. The Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Ltd., Town Survey No. 1., Swansea (1980). pp. 85. ISBN 0 9506950 1 7. Price (paperback) £ 4.50. This is not one of the growing family of books about towns in South Wales which are strong on old pictures and local anecdotes but