Privatisation, Power and the Welfare State

Abstract

It is commonly argued, from both right and left wing perspectives, that consumers of welfare state services experience the use of these services as oppressive and alienating. The result is an endemic dissatisfaction with the welfare state, and the desire to escape public provision and use more immediately accountable private services. This paper distinguishes two main variants of this view. One claims that the experience of control through the exercise of bureaucratic and professional power is the main cause of resentment. The other suggests that the central problem is the perception of state services as inadequately resourced in comparison to the private sector. These arguments are tested against evidence from a recent national survey. Neither experience of control nor concern about resources offer particularly good explanations of support for state welfare, but resource issues appear to have the edge.