Understanding the Mixed Economy of Welfare (Understanding Welfare: Social Issues, Policy and Practice)

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. Understandingthe mixed economy of welfare Contents Detailed contents List of boxes, figures and tables Boxes Figures Tables Notes on contributors 1. Introduction: the mixed economy of welfare and the social division of welfare Introduction Social policy and the welfare mix The social division of welfare Components of the mixed economy of welfare Dimensions of the mixed economy of welfare Conclusions 2. The mixed economy of welfare in historical context Introduction Thinking historically about the state and welfare Thinking historically about the family and welfare Thinking historically about the market and welfare Conclusion 3. The state Introduction: the state The welfare state: then and now The ‘welfare mix’ Welfare pluralism and local government: out and in the mix? Devolution The state and the distribution/redistribution of income Brexit and the 2017 general election Conclusion 4. Market welfare Introduction Private, public or market? Why privatise the welfare state? What are the concerns about privatisation? Market welfare: trends over time Market welfare and English health care in practice Privatisation in policy Impacts of privatisation policies in the English NHS Conclusion 5. Voluntary and community welfare Introduction: definitions Scope Historical development The broad policy context: from New Labour to Brexit Challenges Future prospects 6. Informal welfare Introduction History of informal care The number and characteristics of carers Informal care after the Care Act 2014 Informal welfare in comparative context Conclusion 7. The benefits and inequalities of fiscal welfare Introduction: the forms and scale of fiscal welfare The move to tax credits Fiscal welfare for retirement Fiscal welfare and the welfare state Fiscal welfare in comparative perspective Conclusion 8. Occupational welfare Introduction What is occupational welfare? Key recent developments Case study 1: workplace pensions Case study 2: workplace health care Conclusion: occupational provision, the MEW and the SDW 9. The mixed economy of welfare: a comparative perspective Introduction Regime theory Income maintenance Health care Social care Conclusions 10. Conclusion: analyses in the mixed economy of welfare and the social division of welfare Introduction The MEW and SDW over time and space The three-dimensional MEW Analysing the MEW ‘The ghost at the feast’: the MEW’s links to other debates The impact of the MEW and the SDW Conclusions Index The past decade has seen many changes in UK policy related to the mixed economy of welfare (MEW) and the social division of welfare (SDW), including moves toward greater provider pluralism associated with the "any qualified provider" concept, greater organizational complexity, payment-by-results systems, personalization, partnership working, integrated care, tax credits, and the integration of Big Society ideas, among many others. Fully updated to reflect these changes and looking forward to the likely policy trends of the new Conservative Government, this second edition combines conceptual, historical, and comparative perspectives to offer a fresh conceptual framework that links MEW and SDW with ongoing debates. -- Provided by publisher 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 and contains helpful features such as summaries, questions for discussion, further reading suggestions and electronic resources. It will be a valuable introductory resource for students of social policy, social welfare and social work at both undergraduate and postgraduate level This updated edition, written by social policy and welfare experts, shows how the mixed economy of welfare links with the important conceptual and policy debates.