Understanding the Mixed Economy of Welfare

It has long been recognised that social policy extends far beyond the welfare state. Although state provision may have dominated in Britain since 1945, there is a growing movement towards welfare pluralism - a mixed economy of welfare - involving private, voluntary and informal sectors. Understanding this movement and the concepts, policies and theories driving it is a vital ingredient in the analysis of modern social policy. This book, written by social policy and welfare experts, sheds light on this neglected area of social policy. It shows how the mixed economy of welfare links with important conceptual and policy debates. Combining theoretical and empirical perspectives on the changing nature of welfare, it: explores the components of the key concepts of the mixed economy of welfare and the social division of welfare; analyses the issues of the production, finance and regulation of welfare; locates these issues in the context of New Labour's social policy; and, examines the wider international dimensions of the concepts.
As with all titles in the series, it has been designed with the needs of students in mind and includes useful chapter summaries, illustrative boxes and diagrams, and pointers to relevant websites and other sources of further information.