Choice and competition in public services: Learning from history

This publication is based on sessions reviewing attempts to create markets in public services in four key areas – welfare-to-work, social care, health care and local government. It seeks to draw out high level lessons that those currently operating public service markets, or seeking to extend them, should consider.

It is important to reflect and learn from past experience – indeed helping government to do that is a core part of the Institute for Government’s role.

This study therefore forms part of the Institute’s broader work on, for example, political transitions, policy successes and recent work with the King’s Fund on the lessons of the coalition’s legislative process to reform the NHS.