Understanding the Mixed Economy of Welfare

by Brian Lund (Contribution by), Michael Hill (Contribution by), Margaret May (Contribution by), Edward Brunsdon (Contribution by), Adrian Sinfield (Contribution by)

Overview

As the state withdraws from welfare provision, the mixed economy of welfare – involving private, voluntary and informal sectors – has become ever more important. This second edition of Powell’s acclaimed textbook on the subject brings together a wealth of respected contributors. New features of this revised edition include:

• An updated perspective on the mixed economy of welfare (MEW) and social division of welfare (SDW) in the context of UK Coalition and Conservative governments

• A conceptual framework that links the MEW and SDW with debates on topics of major current interest such as ‘Open Public Services’, ‘Big Society’, Any Qualified Provider’, Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and ‘Public Private Partnerships’ (PPP)

Containing helpful features such as summaries, questions for discussion, further reading suggestions and electronic resources, this will be a valuable introductory resource for students of social policy, social welfare and social work at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781447333227
Publisher:	Bristol University Press
Publication date:	02/01/2019
Series:	Understanding Welfare: Social Issues, Policy and Practice
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	250
Product dimensions:	6.77(w) x 9.45(h) x 0.03(d)

About the Author

Martin Powell is a Professor of Health and Social Policy at the University of Birmingham. Martin’s main research interest is in the British welfare state, especially the NHS. He has written or edited some 19 books, including some being translated into Chinese, Korean, and Polish. He has written over 80 peer reviewed articles, and he is a former editor of the journal ‘Social Policy and Administration’.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction: the mixed economy of welfare and the social division of welfare 1

Overview 1

Introduction 1

Social policy and the welfare mix 4

The social division of welfare 7

Components of the mixed economy of welfare 9

Dimensions of the mixed economy of welfare 10

Conclusions 14

Summary 15

Questions for discussion 15

Further reading 15

Electronic resources 15

References 16

2 The mixed economy of welfare in historical context 21

Overview 21

Introduction 21

Thinking historically about the state and welfare 24

Thinking historically about the family and welfare 27

Thinking historically about the market and welfare 30

Thinking historically about the voluntary/charitable sector and welfare 32

Conclusion 35

Summary 36

Questions for discussion 36

Further reading 36

Electronic resources 37

References 37

3 The state 41

Overview 41

Introduction: the state 42

The welfare state: then and now 44

The 'welfare mix' 46

Welfare pluralism and local government: out and in the mix? 49

The welfare mix, 'the new managerialism' and 'joined up governance' 51

Devolution 52

The state and the distribution/redistribution of income 52

Brexit and the 2017 general election 55

Conclusion 56

Summary 57

Questions for discussion 57

Further reading 58

Electronic resources 58

References 58

4 Market welfare 65

Overview 65

Introduction 65

Private, public or market? 68

Why privatise the welfare state? 74

What are the concerns about privatisation? 75

Market welfare: trends over time 77

Market welfare and English health care in practice 78

Privatisation in policy 80

Impacts of privatisation policies in the English NHS 81

Conclusion 85

Summary 85

Questions for discussion 86

Further reading 86

Electronic resources 86

References 86

5 Voluntary and community welfare 91

Overview 91

Introduction: definitions 91

Scope 94

Historical development 97

The broad policy context: from New Labour to Brexit 100

Challenges 103

Future prospects 105

Summary 107

Questions for discussion 108

Further reading 108

Electronic resources 108

References 108

6 Informal welfare 113

Overview 113

Introduction 113

History of informal care 115

The number and characteristics of carers 121

Informal care after the Care Act 2014 123

Informal welfare in comparative context 123

Conclusion 127

Summary 129

Questions for discussion 129

Further reading 129

Electronic resources 129

References 130

7 The benefits and inequalities of fiscal welfare 135

Overview 135

Introduction: the forms and scale of fiscal welfare 136

The move to tax credits 140

Fiscal welfare for retirement 143

Fiscal welfare and the welfare state 147

Fiscal welfare in comparative perspective 149

Conclusion 150

Summary 151

Questions for discussion 152

Further reading 152

Electronic resources 152

References 153

8 Occupational welfare 159

Overview 159

Introduction 159

What is occupational welfare? 160

Key recent developments 168

Case study 1: workplace pensions 172

Case study 2: workplace healthcare 175

Conclusion: occupational provision, the MEW and SDW 179

Summary 179

Questions for discussion 180

Further reading 180

Electronic resources 180

References 180

9 The mixed economy of welfare: a comparative perspective 183

Overview 183

Introduction 183

Regime theory 184

Income maintenance 187

Health care 191

Social care 193

Conclusions 199

Summary 200

Questions for discussion 201

Further reading 201

Electronic resources 201

References 202

10 Conclusion: analyses in the mixed economy of welfare and the social division of welfare 205

Overview 205

Introduction 205

The MEW and SDW over time and space 206

The MEW and SDW under New Labour, Coalition and 209

Conservative governments: from the 'Third Way' to the 'Big Society' The three-dimensional MEW 212

Analysing the MEW 215

'The ghost at the feast': the MEW's links to other debates 216

The impact of the MEW and the SDW 218

Conclusions 220

Summary 221

Questions for discussion 221

Further reading 221

Electronic resources 221

References 222

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"This book provides an up-to-date account of welfare pluralism that is both accessible to students and likely to revitalise an important debate within Social Policy. A must-read for academics and students alike." Kirk Mann, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy, University of Leeds, about the first edition.

"..offers a coherent and comprehensive account of MEW in Britain both in policy and in policy studies, while offering useful insights to other conceptualisations. Presented in a very accessible way and including teaching and learning tools, it is of interest both to academics and students....." Social Policy, Vol 37:3, about the first edition.

"The authors and editors are to be congratulated on maintaining an accessible style throughout, and in their clear explanations and critiques of the political thinking behind New Labour's 'Third Way' approach to welfare. ... I would recommend this book" Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol 60 (4), about the first edition.