Concepts of 'welfare pluralism' and 'the mixed economy of welfare' have recently come to increasing prominence in social policy discussions. They are used to describe a reduced role for state intervention in welfare and greater emphasis an voluntary action informal and the marker. Criti ques from the left have so far largely concentrated on their legitimating role for the right. This paper suggests that more significantly, despite occasionally progressive rhetoric, they represent a shift to the right in the fabian consensus, which reinforces and supports privatisation and increased reliance on unpaid caring, particularly by women.
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