The Road to Welfare Pluralism

Welfare pluralism is often seen as a possible solution to the welfare crisis manywestern countries are experiencing. Alternative sources of welfare provisions havebecome attractive in systems once dominated by the state. The family, the companyand voluntary organizations can provide services where the state has left a gap.There are, however, several grounds for scepticism about the benefi ts of welfarepluralism. There is sometimes a general fear of privatization of public commitmentsand concerns about quality and equal treatment of all citizens. This book serves ahandy presentation of the problem and developments and offers a critical discussionof the concept and ideas of welfare pluralism. In a comprehensive comparativeempirical analysis, the road to welfare pluralism is studied in three different kinds ofwestern European welfare states Sweden, Germany and Britain. From offi cialdocuments and public statements made by centrally placed policy makers, we cansee how welfare pluralism is motivated, supported and organized. With the obviousdifferent experiences and policies of the three countries, the study still discernssome common patterns in the way Sweden, Germany and Britain cope with thechallenges of the welfare state and of welfare pluralism.