Choice in public services

This chapter explores New Labour’s approach to choice at each of Hall’s three levels, and considers how 6 and Peck’s themes of modernisation are manifest in detailed policy settings. It also examines changes over Blair’s two-and-a-half terms as Prime Minister and between different public services. The chapter highlights the government’s growing fascination with choice, and the tendency to offer distinctive models of choice to different welfare users. It concludes by looking at how political leaders after Blair are interpreting and applying choice in public services, highlighting the narrowness of mainstream party agendas, which offer users ‘no choice but to choose’.

Economics · Government (linguistics) · Mainstream · Modernization theory · Peck (Imperial) · Political science · Politics · Prime minister · Public choice · Public economics · Public policy · Public relations · Sociology · Welfare · Law · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Public Administration · Social Policy and Reform Studies