To austerity and beyond! Third sector innovation or creeping privatization of public sector services?

Abstract

The shift of services out of state provision has been revitalized through a wave of policies linked to helping people make informed choices about health and social care and to extend competition and choice. This paper considers the rise of social enterprise and public service mutuals in the UK in the landscape of austerity, public sector rationalization, and re-structuring and draws on examples to demonstrate emerging alternative delivery models.

Keywords:

• Privatization
• public services
• public service mutuals (PSMs)
• social economy

Notes

* The social economy on a functional level is seen as ‘an umbrella term for a number of individuals, groups, organizations, and sectors (e.g. voluntary and community sector, co-operative sector) that is broader and more inclusive than the “third sector”, includes “community economic development” and contributes to a vibrant civil society’ (Myers, 2009, p. 20).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jan Myers

Jan Myers is a Senior Lecturer at Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University, UK.