ABSTRACT
During the past two decades discussion of social policy in Britain has been dominated by the assumption that the state should occupy the central place in the provision of social services. The character of this discussion has owed much to the influence of one man, Richard Titmuss, and his followers. The social services of this country are exceptionally centralised and dependent upon provision made directly by the state. This book examines the present situation as it has evolved over the past two decades and points towards alternative strategies of development. The future of the social services is bound up with wider developments in the economy and society. One view of the future, and perhaps the one most widely if tacitly subscribed to today, is that the present crises in the economy and in the role of the state can be overcome and that the growth of the social services can be resumed as before.
