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Public and private welfare activity in the United Kingdom, 1979 to 1999

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  • Smithies, Rachel

Abstract

This paper analyses the shifting balance between public sector and private sector welfare provision in the United Kingdom over the past two decades. Five sectors – education, health, personal social services, housing, and income maintenance and social security – are examined over three time points, 1979/80, 1995/96, and 1999/2000. Burchardt’s (1997) typology is used to classify welfare activities according to who funds them, who provides them, and who decides on the provider and/or amount of service. It is found that shifts in the composition of welfare activity have been relatively small and gradual: around half of all welfare activity, dropping from 52 percent to 49 percent, is entirely public; around a quarter, rising from 24 percent to 29 percent, is entirely private; and the remainder involves a mixture of both sectors. Within the latter group, there was a notable increase over time in the contracting-out of public services, which rose from 6 percent to 10 percent of all welfare activity.

Suggested Citation

  • Smithies, Rachel, 2005. "Public and private welfare activity in the United Kingdom, 1979 to 1999," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 6271, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:6271
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/6271/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tania Burchardt, 1997. "Boundaries between Public and Private Welfare: a typology and map of services (publ.as Private Welfare and Public Policy, Burchardt, Hills and Propper, Rowntree Foundation, Jan 1999)," CASE Papers case02, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
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    Cited by:

    1. Edmiston, Daniel, 2011. "The shifting balance of private and public welfare activity in the United Kingdom, 1979 to 2007," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 43901, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    welfare; soical spending; privatisation; contracting-out; public provision; private provision;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H53 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs
    • H50 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - General
    • L33 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Comparison of Public and Private Enterprise and Nonprofit Institutions; Privatization; Contracting Out

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