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Public Opinion and the Privatization of Welfare: Some Theoretical Implications*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2009

Ken Judge ,
Jillian Smith  and
Peter Taylor-Gooby
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Abstract

The social policy of the Thatcher government is characterized by an abrupt shift in the direction of the private sector. To what extent does this reflect what people want? The Institute of Economic Affairs conclude from the only suitable national opinion survey that such a move is strongly supported. Our reanalysis of their data shows that this strand in public opinion can coexist with, and need not contradict, an equal public enthusiasm for state welfare. Such results have important implications for our understanding of social policy. We conclude, therefore, with a discussion of contrasting marxist and liberal accounts which seeks to show that the evidence of ambivalence in popular attitudes about the welfare state supports particular developments in theory.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , October 1983 , pp. 469 - 489
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

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