ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines a key element of what R. H. Tawney has termed the Strategy of Equality. It attempts to achieve social and economic equality through public spending on what are commonly termed the 'social services': health, education, housing and transport. The book outlines the Strategy of Equality, as expressed by its adherents, and endeavours to formalise it in as specific a fashion as possible. It also examines the distributional impact of public expenditure on health care, education, housing and transport: the key components of the 'social services' and essential elements of the Strategy of Equality. The book begins with an investigation of the distribution of public expenditure in the area concerned, reviewing the available evidence, and, where relevant, discussing possible explanations for the distributional pattern that emerges.
