ABSTRACT
In the Netherlands, care for the elderly as well as care for young children is mainly provided in the family by women. The provision and purchasing of social care in The Netherlands have always been managed within a hybrid mixture of familial and social services. This chapter analyses the implications of the mixed economy of care for the frail elderly and children separately. It explores the importance of the mixed economy of care as a heterogeneous structure of different logics of care. The bureaucratic administrative system forms the heart of welfare states and is designed to promote the efficient and impartial provision and administration of public services. The labour market element in the expansion of childcare has led to a public debate about the quality of childcare. Care for the frail elderly is provided mainly on an informal basis by relatives, partners and volunteers in the Netherlands.
