Federalism And Decentralization In European Health And Social Care

This book integrates two disciplines- economics and political science- to map the past, present and future of the territorial allocation of authority in the decentralized big countries of Western Europe. By comparing different states, attention is drawn to the interesting similarities and differences that exist in the health and social case policies of varying countries in Europe.

The result is an analysis that highlights the ubiquity of territorial politics and the necessarily territorial nature of many health and social care policies. By clarifying assumptions that economists, political scientists and practitioners have often introduced into their analyses of decentralization and the allocation of authority in health, this book brings to the fore theoretical discussions from second generation fiscal federalism and new politics of the welfare state alongside both quantitative and qualitative empirical evidence of different European countries that differ widely in institutional design and historical inertias.

Review: A very welcome contribution testing the impact of health care decentralisation on health policies, accountability and citizens' satisfaction. This book makes clear that political infra-state devolution not only promotes and encourages emulation between jurisdictions but that also, in the absence of fiscal responsibility in these states, impacts negatively on the public budgets of the countries examined. -Guillem Lopez-Casasnovas, Professor of Economics, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain The pathbreaking chapters in this book are precise when existing accounts are vague, lucid when other accounts are confusing, and politically savvy throughout.

The book is a major contribution to the comparative understanding of health, policy, and territorial politics in Europe -Guy Lodge, Institute for Public Policy Research and Nuffield College, University of Oxford, UK