ABSTRACT
This chapter has examined some of the many changes taking place within the publicly funded services of the welfare state. Although justified by many criteria such as accountability, responsiveness, diversity and democracy, a constant theme running throughout these reforms has been the desire to increase efficiency and save money. However, in many cases there is a lack of hard, quantitative evidence to justify these reforms and they are often the result of political ideologies. What is also clear is that the impact of these reforms has been very uneven across space. It is often argued that these reforms will help to target resources towards those in greatest need but it is clear from the available evidence that the net outcome of many changes has been to further disadvantage the most marginalised and least well-off in society. Thus, the changes to the welfare state have been part of the broader set of processes leading to increased social polarisation in recent years.
