David Coates's book is an introduction to the issues surrounding the problem of UK economic decline and the critiques which have been put forward to explain this phenomenon. It discusses each of the major areas involved (economics, economic history, sociology, political science and international relations), and clarifies and evaluates the major political solutions currently on offer. Providing a non-technical approach for a non-specialist readership, this is an accessible guide to the debate on UK economic performance, and to the evidence which allows an assessment of the various claims in that debate.