Abstract
Drawing on case studies from two local authorities, this article identifies
two distinct economic cultures in social care contracting. An arms-length
contracting culture was emerging in interaction with risk-averse
commercial suppliers, while a ‘partnership’ contracting culture was
developing in association with non-profit providers who actively sought
risk and responsibility. The article explores the discursive construction of
the distinct implicit contracts associated with the two economic cultures,
showing that ‘flexibility’ had become a key trope in contracting debate,
carrying complex meanings of both responsiveness and control. The article
thus unpacks the notion of ‘soft’ contracting in social care, and argues
that social care contracting should be understood as a process of mutual
shaping of both a divided care industry and an internally divided local
authority economic culture. The article then draws out a series of implications
of the research for policy and regulation in care contracting.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Subject
Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law,Public Administration,Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
Cited by
21 articles.
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