Exits, Voices and Social Investment by Keith Dowding

Exits, Voices and Social Investment by Keith Dowding

Over fifty years ago, Albert Hirschman argued that dissatisfied consumers could either voice complaint or exit when they were dissatisfied with goods or services. Loyal consumers would voice rather than exit. Hirschman argued that making exit easier from publicly provided services, such as health or education, would reduce voice, taking the richest and most articulate away and this would lead to the deterioration of public services. This book provides the first thorough empirical study of these ideas. Using a modified version of Hirschman's account, examining private and collective voice, and viewing loyalty as a form of social investment, it is grounded on a dedicated five-year panel study of British citizens. Given government policies over the past decade or more which make exit easier from public providers, this is a timely publication for all those who care about the quality of government services.

'This restatement and intensive empirical exploration of Hirschman's classic ideas in the context of public services is not just very welcome as such, but is also an immensely good read' Stephen Harrison, Honorary Professor of Social Policy, University of Manchester
'This book is the culmination of an outstanding record of research by the authors. It is a very important theoretical and empirical contribution to our understanding of how citizens make decisions about public services.' Professor George Boyne, Cardiff University

Keith Dowding is Professor of Political Science in the School of Politics and International Relations, Research School of Social Sciences and Director of the Research College of Arts and Social Sciences at the Australian National University. Peter John is Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, School of Public Policy at University College London.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781107022423
ISBN 10	1107022428
Title	Exits, Voices and Social Investment
Author	Keith Dowding
Series	Theories Of Institutional Design
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Year published	2012-04-12
Number of pages	208
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.