The effects of government policies that 'make markets' in social services in Australia and Sweden

The project investigates the dynamics of social service marketisation. The research is significant because marketisation, which brings competition and private organisations into public service provision, poses risks for the quality and equitable distribution of social services. The research at Macquarie and Stockholm universities will consolidate and extend existing national and international research collaborations. Outcomes include opportunities for a new conceptualisation of the dynamics of marketisation, based on cross-sector and cross-national comparison, and preparatory work for an innovative e-research project. Planned outputs include a co-edited collection to be published open-access, with direct, timely relevance for policy-makers.