Open AccessPrivatization
Author(s) -
James M. Dunlop
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
critical social work
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1543-9372
DOI - 10.22329/csw.v7i2.5728
Subject(s) - government (linguistics) , argument (complex analysis) , social welfare , business , context (archaeology) , private sector , public sector , public administration , exploratory research , welfare , public policy , economic growth , public relations , public economics , economics , political science , market economy , economy , sociology , paleontology , philosophy , biochemistry , linguistics , chemistry , anthropology , law , biology
Privatization of social welfare services in Canada is promoted by national, provincial, regional and municipal governments through initiatives that emphasize public-private partnerships. Together with encouraging these partnerships as a privatization strategy, government also reduces public funding and replaces it with private sector contracting for social provision. An exploratory study of the Healthy Babies/ Healthy Children (HBHC) program found an increasing acceptance of privatization by service providers in Ontario. These findings illustrate the argument that government creates the context for market-based solutions. But can market-based solutions really solve social problems, and is this the intention of government social policy?