Markets in the public sector : when do they work, and what do we do when they don't ?

Abstract

There is a danger that we have become so used to the idea of markets in the public sector that they become taken for granted. This article first problematises the terms 'market' and 'public', before going on to talk about markets as they are being used in present policy, and applying a morphogenetic-inspired analysis of their use. Finally, it attempts to work out when and where markets might work in the public sector, and what we might do in terms of public reform where they do not.