BOUNDARIES BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATEWELFARE : A TYPOLOGY AND MAP OF SERVICES

This paper develops a typology of welfare services and attempts toillustrate its use in clarifying discussions about the privatisation ofwelfare and in analysing changes in expenditure. A third dimension,which concerns the extent of the consumer’s decision-making power andturns on the question of agency and exit, is added to the now-familiardimensions of provision and finance. This third dimension is found tohave been increasingly important in policy terms, as attempts have beenmade to reduce the role of the “pure public” sector. The assisted placesscheme, NHS glasses vouchers, and tax relief on pension contributionsare all examples of policies which sought to promote consumer decisionmaking.However despite the policy interest in moving from public toprivate decision, the second half of the paper shows that the impact interms of changes in patterns of welfare expenditure since 1979/80 hasbeen small. The overall picture is one of continuing importance of thepublicly provided, financed and decided sector, accounting for just overhalf of all welfare expenditure in 1979/80 and just under half in 1995/96.[...]