Theories of the Market in Social Services and Possibilities for International Comparisons

Abstract

In response to marketizing reforms in social services that have been implemented in many industrialized countries since the 1990s, a number of studies have been conducted overseas, including both theoretical studies on the market framework in social services and empirical studies on social service reforms. As yet, the characteristics and significance of these studies, with the exception of the theory of the “quasi―market,” have not been examined by social policy researchers in Japan.In light of these circumstances, this study aims to review the major theoretical frameworks regarding the market in social services, as well as comparative studies on marketizing reforms in social services based on these frameworks, and to examine the possibilities for applying these frameworks in analyzing the institutional reforms of social care services that have been conducted in Japan since 2000. The theoretical frameworks reviewed in this study include the “market in the welfare state” approach developed by Jane Gingrich, the “culture of the welfare market theory” developed by Ingo Bode, and the “typology of the quasi―market” model developed by the author.