Choice and Diversity? John Curtice Strathclyde University/ScotCen
Project Design zHow should services be delivered? zDoes how they are delivered matter? zParticular interest in ‘choice’ debate, zAnd ‘natural experiments’ of within UK variation. zFocus on education, health and social care.
Evidence zSurveys of public opinion in all four parts of the UK in 2007 zBritish Social Attitudes (2,022; 1,735 in E) zScottish Social Attitudes (1,508) zNorthern Ireland Life & Times (1,179) zSpecial Welsh survey (884)
(English) Elite Arguments z‘diversity of supply is a necessary condition of choice’ (Audit Commission) z‘it is necessary to have both user choice and provider competition’ (Le Grand) z‘widen diversity of supply to create new incentives for…more choice for patients’ (Brown)
Demand for Choice
Facilitating Choice
Importance of Choice
Meaning of Choice?
Within State Diversity?
Should business run…?
Should charities run…?
Attitudes to quasi-markets
Choice and Within State Diversity
Choice and Private Provision
Choice and Quasi-Markets
Conclusion zChoice and Quasi-markets may go together in the minds of elites… z..but we should not assume they do in the minds of the public. zDemand for choice is a demand for good (and diverse?) publicly provided services. zEngland should embrace markets less - but Scotland promote choice more?