What are the implications of the contract culture and its introduction into Britain's public services, for both the providers and users of services? The authors compare and contrast local government, health, and social care services, arguing that these changes involve a fundamental break with past understandings of public services management. This new study, based on original research in the field, examines the situation and identifies the prospects for future action.

• Foreword


• 1: Simon Deakin and Jonathan Michie: The Theory and Practice of Contracting


• Part I. Trust, Co-operation, and Competition


• 2: Bruce Lyons and Judith Mehta: Private Sector Business Contracts: The Text Between the Lines


• 3: Peter Buckley and Malcolm Chapman: A Longitudinal Study of the Management of Co-operative Strategies


• 4: Dan Coffey, Peter Nolan, Richard Saundry, and Malcolm Sawyer: Regulatory Change in the British Television Industry: Effects on Productivity and Competition


• 5: Simon Deakin, Christel Lane, and Frank Wilkinson: Contract Law, Trust Relations, and Incentives for Co-operation: A Comparative Study


• Part II. Public Sector Contracting and Quasi-Markets


• 6: Peter Vincent-Jones: Hybrid Organization and Contractual Governance in the Provision of Local Authority Services


• 7: Jonathan Montgomery: Control and Restraint in NHS Contracting


• 8: Jean McHale: Conceptualizing Contractual Disputes in the NHS Internal Market


• 9: Richard Laughlin and Jane Broadbent: Contracts, Competition, and Accounting in Health and Education: Juridification at Work?


• Part III. Contract Law and Economic Analysis


• 10: Roger Brownsword: Contract Law, Co-operation, and Good Faith: The Movement from Static to Dynamic Market-Individualism


• 11: Hugh Collins: Quality Assurance and Contractual Practice


• 12: David Campbell: The Relational Constitution of Contract and the Limits of `Economics'


• Part IV. Industrial Structure, Contracts, and Competition


• 13: Simon Deakin, Tom Goodwin, and Alan Hughes: Co-operation and Trust in Inter-Firm Relations: Beyond Competition Policy?


• 14: Alan Gutterman: Inter-Firm Co-operation, Competition Law, and Patent Licensing: A USEC Comparison


• 15: Steve Anderman: Commercial Co-operation, International Competitiveness, and EC Competition Policy