ABSTRACT
For close to three decades, case management has been a favored instru-ment of social welfare policy. In examining its history in different service sectors we have had a pinhole view of the changing objectives and prevailing political philosophies of those years. The story of case management would be incomplete without acknowledging its manifestation in an ever-increasing roster of settings. Case management shows every sign of continuing to be the policy mechanism of choice for those who want to rationalize service systems. New versions of the practice are emerging in managed care and private practice, and there has been increased interest in case management in countries where the dissolution of state-dominated service systems has threatened service integration and limited service resources. This chapter looks back across the sectors previously examined as well as at newer applications to ask two questions that, admittedly, can only receive partial answers: Why has case management enjoyed such continued appeal? And, why are there so many different types of structures all carrying the label case management? We wil l see how case management's past, present, and likely future popularity are linked to its role as a bureaucratic tool as well as its grounding in the social structure of our society. We wil l also see how the diversity of case management forms comes out of the same sources as its appeal: the ability to convey multiple meanings and serve multiple interests.
