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Reading 28: The politics of choice - Coggle Diagram
Reading 28: The politics of choice
THE POLITICS OF CHOICE AND COMPETITION IN PUBLIC SERVICES ARE COMPLEX
the ideological groups are the social democratic left and the conservative right
can further be split into two
those who work in the public sector - providers
those who benefit from it - users
these groupings are not mutually exclusive
most of those who work in the public sector also use it
four models for delivering public services
targets model
ventral management sets targets for providers, rewards them if they succeed and penalizes them if they fail
voice model
users can express satisfaction or dissatisfaction directly to providers
trust model
professionals and managers are trusted to know what is best for their users without interference from government
choice and competition model
tax-funded users choose services offered by competing providers
THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC LEFT
many social democrats are instinctively hostile to choice and competition in public services
market orientated world is one where uncaring capitalists exploit vulnerable customers
would prefer professionals and others who work in the public services to be trusted with service delivery without interference from government
public sector professionals can be trusted to get on with the job
no need for incentives
no need to be told what to do
social democrats would prefer to choose voice over choice
due to their belief in the fundamental knightliness of public service providers
many social democrats are middle class
they already have some choice
if dissatisfied with a public service, they can go private
the models favored are trust and choice but these will not generally deliver high quality, responsive and efficient services
choice-and-competition model thus can be reconciled with social democratic ideals in that it can deliver on all these dimensions - so long as the policies are designed properly
THE CONSERVATIVE RIGHT
more likely to favour choice and competition over other models of public service delivery
to serve the public good, they will have to be provided with incentives that appeal to their self-interest
if the aim is to empower users, why no let them use their own money in deciding how must education or health care to buy?
but this is problematic
if people can use their own money, then the better off will purchase more health care for themselves and their families and better education for their children than the less well off
PROVIDERS
resentment from NHS staff
elements of reform all happened simultaneously placing an intolerable strain on many NHS staff
there was a general unease about the direction of reform
much of the autonomy was steadily eroded
with greater freedom may come less security
USERS
the majority of users do appear to want choice in public services - particularly those less powerful or less well off
the interests of users, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, often get lost in the heat of political debate