ABSTRACT
The transformation of education provision over the last two decades in England and Wales, and to some extent also in Scotland, is intrinsically tied to changes in the political economy of not just the UK but also the Western World. A changing global economy, the rise of the New Right in policy decision-making and a ‘tired’ Welfare State has prompted significant changes in policy across many spheres of public services, not least in education. One of the key concepts developed to reflect these changes has been that of quasi-markets. The notion of market principles while maintaining some form of state control have typically been applied to different areas of public provision and provides a useful theoretical tool to review legislative changes and evaluate the implications of the new policy strategy. The purpose of this Chapter is, therefore, to consider the development of a quasi-market in education alongside the broader changes to the political economy of the Welfare State as a basis for the rationale of this study.
