Based on detailed research in twenty-five local authorities, this book focuses on initial experiences of, and attitudes towards, operating within social care markets. It examines perspectives on and capacities to implement the community care reforms, and locates them within conceptual and policy frameworks which help us identify implications for local authorities, private and voluntary sector providers, central government and the research community. Generally, local authorities have moved from a relatively crude anti-commercialism to a belief that the market is capable of delivering benefits to users and carers. However, there is relatively little evidence that authorities have developed understandings of how to use the market to achieve social goals.

This is a fascinating story of how social care markets are actually operating. It is the second book to arise from this large scale longitudinal research, and is a worthy successor to the widely welcomed first book, Social Care in a Mixed Economy.