Partnerships, New Labour and the governance of welfare

Description

UK government policy encourages "partnerships" - between statutory organisations and professionals; public and private sectors; with voluntary organisations and local communities. But is this collaborative discourse really as distinctive as the Labour Government claims? How far do contemporary partnerships exemplify an approach to governing which is based on networks (as distinct from hierarchies and markets)? These claims are critically examined in this book using evidence from a wide range of welfare partnerships, including health and social services, regeneration, pensions and community development. "Partnerships, New Labour and the Governance of Welfare": provides a critical analysis of partnerships; addresses the theme of "partnerships" as the means of achieving joined-up government; presents empirical evidence from a wide range of welfare partnerships; examines the relationships between local welfare partnerships; the management of those partnerships by central government; and reveals the imbalance of power which characterises many contemporary partnerships. It is aimed at academics and students of contemporary social and public policy and those with an interest in networks and other theories of welfare governance.

Caroline Glendinning is Professor of Social Policy, National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, University of Manchester. She currently leads a programme of research on the development of partnerships between NHS and local authorities. Martin Powell is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath. Research interests include welfare theory, policy evaluation and health policy. Kirstein Rummery is Research Fellow at the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, University of Manchester. Research interests include citizenship and disabled and older people, access to care and partnerships between health and social care services.

"The concept of 'partnership' assumes many different forms in the complex world of British social welfare. This book provides a clear and comprehensive account of the origins and many practical applications of this concept." Robert Pinker, Emeritus Professor of Social Administration, London School of Economics