The Delegated Welfare State

Medicare, Markets, and the Governance of Social Policy
1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-0-19-973035-3
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, Band 1, 328 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 525 g

Reihe: Studies in Postwar American Political Development

Why are so many American social programs delegated to private actors? And what are the consequences for efficiency, accountability, and the well-being of beneficiaries? The Delegated Welfare State examines the development of the American welfare state through the lens of delegation: how policymakers have repeatedly avoided direct governmental provision of benefits and services, instead turning to non-state actors for the governance of social programs. More recent versions, such as the Medicare Part D prescription drug program, delegate responsibility to consumers themselves, who must choose from an array of private providers in social welfare marketplaces. Utilizing a case study of Medicare, along with the 2009-10 health care reform, authors Andrea Campbell and Kimberly Morgan argue that the prevalence of delegated governance derives from fundamental contradictions in American public opinion. Americans want both social programs and small government, leaving policy makers in a bind. In response, they contract out public programs to non-state actors as a way to mask the role of the state. Such arrangements also pull in interest group allies--the providers of these programs--who help pass policies in a political landscape fraught with obstacles. Although delegated governance has been politically expedient, enabling the passage and growth of government programs in an anti-government political climate, it raises questions about fraud, abuse, administrative effectiveness, and accountability. Social welfare marketplaces also suffer due to the difficulties individuals have in making choices about the benefits they need. In probing both the causes and consequences of delegated governance,The Delegated Welfare State offers a novel interpretation of both American social welfare politics and the nature of the American state.

Zielgruppe

Students and scholars of American political development, political economy, federal legislation, Amercian social policy, American foreign policy, and contemporary American politics.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Morgan, Kimberly J.

Campbell, Andrea Louise

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Arbeit/Sozialpädagogik Soziale Dienste, Soziale Organisationen
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Wirtschaftspolitik, politische Ökonomie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Regierungspolitik Wirtschafts- und Finanzpolitik
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Studien zu einzelnen Ländern und Gebieten
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Regierungspolitik Umwelt- und Gesundheitspolitik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Figures
List of Tables
Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Chapter One. Introduction
The Concept of Delegated Governance
The Case Study of Medicare
The Methodology and Organization of This Book
Chapter Two. Exploring the Delegated Welfare State
Conceptualizing the Delegated Welfare State
What Does the Delegated Welfare State Look Like?
A Cross-National Perspective on Delegated Governance
Why Did the Delegated Welfare State Emerge in the US?
Does It Matter How Social Programs Are Administered?
Conclusion
Chapter Three. Medicare and the Delegated Welfare State in the Post-War Era
The Emergence of the Delegated Welfare State
Delegating the Governance of Medicare
Conclusion
Chapter Four. The Rise of the Market Reform Movement
The Complex Politics of Welfare State Privatization
The Free Market Movement in Health Care
The Politics of Marketization
Conclusion
Chapter Five. Crafting the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003
Delegated Governance in the MMA
The Political Context: Polarization,

Über Autor(innen)

Andrea Louise Campbell is Associate Professor of Political Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Kimberly J. Morgan is Associate Professor of Political Science at George Washington University.