The American Myth of Markets in Social Policy: Ideological Roots of Inequality

Hevenstone, Debra (2015). The American Myth of Markets in Social Policy: Ideological Roots of Inequality. New York: Palgrave Macmillan 10.1057/9781137436306

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The American Myth of Markets in Social Policy examines how implementing American tropes in policy design inadvertently frustrates policy goals. It investigates multiple market-oriented designs including funding for private organizations to deliver public services, funding for individuals to buy services, and policies incentivizing or mandating private actors to provide social policy. The author shows that these solutions often not only fail to achieve social goals, but, in fact, actively undermine them, for example saddling the poor with debt or encouraging discrimination. The book carefully details the mechanisms through which this occurs, for example a mismatch between program goals and either contract terms or individual preferences. The author examines several policies in depth, covering universal social insurance programs like healthcare and pensions, as well as smaller interventions like programs for the homeless. The author builds the argument using detailed empirical evidence as well as anecdote, keeping the book accessible and entertaining.

Item Type:	Book (Monograph)
Division/Institute:	03 Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences > Social Sciences 03 Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Institute of Sociology
UniBE Contributor:	Hevenstone, Debra
Subjects:	300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology 300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology > 350 Public administration & military science 300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology > 360 Social problems & social services
ISBN:	978-1-137-43629-0
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan
Language:	English
Submitter:	Debra Hevenstone
Date Deposited:	11 May 2016 15:41
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 14:54
Publisher DOI:	10.1057/9781137436306
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/80219