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

Smithies, Rachel (2005) Public and private welfare activity in the United Kingdom, 1979 to 1999. CASEpaper (93). Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, London, UK.

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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.

Item Type: Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL: http://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/case
Additional Information: © 2005 Rachel Smithies
Divisions: Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology
JEL classification: H - Public Economics > H5 - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies > H53 - Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs
H - Public Economics > H5 - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies > H50 - General
L - Industrial Organization > L3 - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise > L33 - Comparison of Public and Private Enterprises; Privatization; Contracting Out
Date Deposited: 01 Jul 2008 12:20
Last Modified: 15 Sep 2023 23:03
URI: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/6271

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