When and why might choice in public services have intrinsic (dis)value?

Bhattacharya, Aveek ORCID: 0000-0003-1833-4706 (2020) When and why might choice in public services have intrinsic (dis)value? CASEpapers (CASE 220). Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, London, UK.

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Abstract

Governments in several countries have sought to increase choice in public services. Proponents claim the value of such choice is both instrumental (it improves outcomes) and intrinsic (choice is valuable in itself). Yet while the instrumental benefits of such measures are strongly contested, the supposed intrinsic value of public service choice is both normatively and empirically underexplored. This paper draws on the philosophical and psychological literature on the costs and benefits of choice to identify why and under what circumstances choice in public services might have intrinsic value (or indeed, disvalue). Through this process, it develop a framework of empirical questions that can be used to analyse the intrinsic (dis)value of particular choice reforms.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	https://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/CASE/_new/publications/
Additional Information:	© 2020 The Author
Divisions:	Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
JEL classification:	I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I0 - General I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare and Poverty > I31 - General Welfare; Basic Needs; Living Standards; Quality of Life; Happiness I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare and Poverty > I38 - Government Policy; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
Date Deposited:	06 Feb 2024 15:15
Last Modified:	14 Sep 2024 04:42
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/121526

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