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		Issue #27
		Time for welfare pluralism? New approaches to social provision

		Best of both worlds? New patterns of social provision in low-income countries

		Mixed experiences. Assessing public-private approaches to social service provision in Latin America

		To purchase or provide. Should governments contract out hospital care?

		Wasted opportunities? People, livelihoods and garbage in South Asia

September 1998 Insights Issue #27

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Time for welfare pluralism?

New approaches to social provision

The goal of universal state provision of social services will long continue to elude most developing countries. Formidable challenges posed by high mortality rates, low literacy, poor sanitation and limited access to safe drinking water, raise important policy questions concerning the appropriate blend of public and private provision. Should the state's role be relegated to that of residual provider for those excluded from access to private provision? How can the state effectively regulate and monitor the private sector? What kinds of partnership can it enter into with private providers and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)? How can NGOs and other groups in civil society hold public and private providers accountable for the quality and coverage of services? This issue of Insights probes these issues by reference to examples from around the world of novel public-private partnerships for healthcare, education and the management of urban wastes.

Full editorial...

Also in this issue:

Best of both worlds?
New patterns of social provision in low-income countries

Mixed experiences.
Assessing public-private approaches to social service provision in Latin America

To purchase or provide.
Should governments contract out hospital care?

Wasted opportunities?
People, livelihoods and garbage in South Asia

Coming in Issue #28: Public Interest, Corporate Gain: Have social and ethical movements made a difference?

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