Papers by Jane Lethbridge
Global Social Policy, Aug 1, 2005
The role of professionals has been challenged, as part of welfare state reforms, resulting in a d... more The role of professionals has been challenged, as part of welfare state reforms, resulting in a different labour process, characterised by de-skilling. This article examines the changing skills and knowledge that have affected three ‘social service professional’ groups (teachers, nurses and social workers) as seen through changes in service delivery, basic training and graduate entry, organisational arrangements for training policies and codes of conduct. This is a comparative study of the three groups in the United Kingdom. It compares the position in the early Welfare State with more recent public sector reforms. This article highlights the fundamental changes in skills and knowledge that are being introduced in ‘social service professions’, which impact on their ability to fulfil a role within the welfare state. Considering the original role of these professional groups in guaranteeing social rights for citizens, different skills and knowledge are affecting the extent to which they fulfil their traditional roles.
(www.gre.ac.uk). PSIRU's research includes the maintenance of an extensive database on the econom... more (www.gre.ac.uk). PSIRU's research includes the maintenance of an extensive database on the economic, political, social and technical effects of liberalisation, privatisation and restructuring of public services worldwide, on the multinational companies involved, and on the policies of international financial institutions and the European Union, especially in water, energy, healthcare and social care. This core database is financed by Public Services International (PSI-www.world-psi.org), the worldwide confederation of public service trade unions. PSI and the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU-www.epsu.org) commission many PSIRU reports. PSIRU is a member of the PRESOM and GOVAGUA networks, and coordinated the WATERTIME project, all funded by the European Commission.
Oxford University Press eBooks, Feb 1, 2010
... used, but there are also newer activities that show that protests are taking on different for... more ... used, but there are also newer activities that show that protests are taking on different forms throughout the world (Lethbridge, 2006). ... Webster and Lambert (2003) provide an account of some of the practical issues of drawing different national trade unions together through an ...
Routledge eBooks, May 28, 2020
The Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU) investigates the impact of privatisation ... more The Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU) investigates the impact of privatisation and liberalisation on public services, with a specific focus on water, energy, waste management, health and social care sectors. Other research topics include the function and structure of public services, the strategies of multinational companies and influence of international finance institutions on public services. PSIRU is based in the Business Faculty,
(PSIRU). PSIRU investigates the impact of privatisation and liberalisation on public services, wi... more (PSIRU). PSIRU investigates the impact of privatisation and liberalisation on public services, with a specific focus on water, energy, waste management, health and social care sectors. Other research topics include the function and structure of public services, the strategies of multinational companies and influence of international finance institutions on public services. PSIRU is based in the Business Faculty,
The Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU) investigates the impact of privatisation ... more The Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU) investigates the impact of privatisation and liberalisation on public services, with a specific focus on water, energy, waste management, health and social care sectors. Other research topics include the function and structure of public services, the strategies of multinational companies and influence of international finance institutions on public services. PSIRU is based in the Business Faculty,
This paper examines some of the remaining national public enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) ... more This paper examines some of the remaining national public enterprises in the United Kingdom (UK) and discusses recent policy trends. Privatisation policies were introduced to the UK in the 1980s, which led to a reduction in the number of national public enterprises in many sectors. This paper examines public enterprises which still operate either across the UK or in the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and function in communications/ broadcasting, public transport and environment/ water services. Several themes emerge from the analysis. Communications/ broadcasting companies are under threat from commercial competitors which now have implicit support from government. The new (2015) Conservative government is pursuing a more aggressive strategy with both the BBC and Channel 4. Several public transport companies over the last decade have moved from public to private ownership and have now returned to public ownership, an indication of the difficulties of maximising profits in the public transport sector. The devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland have played an active role in either maintaining public enterprises or returning them to public ownership.
Issue being investigated For professionals working within Welfare States as 'social services prof... more Issue being investigated For professionals working within Welfare States as 'social services professionals', changes in the forms of service delivery have called for new models of professionalism (Noordegraaf 2007). The concept of 'democratic professionalism' has been identified as a way in which professions such as teachers, nurses and social workers can redefine their own professionalism, during a period when conventional roles are under attack (Whitty 2000, Sachs 2001, Groundwater-Smith & Sachs 2005). Yet, there is a long tradition of 'social services professionals' questioning ways of working within the state and developing radical practices to improve the practice and delivery of public services (Weekend Return Group, 1980). In order to further develop strategies of democratic professionalism, the learning from these earlier radical practices needs to be better understood and compared to the theories of democratic professionalism developed more recently. Contribution to knowledge in field This research contributes to a) a growing focus on the role of professionals within organisations and corporations and b) places democratic professionalism within a tradition of radical/ democratic practice. How it is being investigated? The research draws on a range of sources: project evaluations, mapping of projects, surveys and accounts of innovative and radical practice as seen through biography and other historical sources. This will complement more formal academic research into radical practice.
The Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU) investigates the impact of privatisation ... more The Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU) investigates the impact of privatisation and liberalisation on public services, with a specific focus on water, energy, waste management, health and social care sectors. Other research topics include the function and structure of public services, the strategies of multinational companies and influence of international finance institutions on public services. PSIRU is based in the Business Faculty,
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2002
Reports on experiences made regarding new structures and approaches in health services in four co... more Reports on experiences made regarding new structures and approaches in health services in four countries, with particular reference to the capacity and effectiveness of the social partners.
Castree identified the need for labour geography to understand ‘transnational spheres of organisi... more Castree identified the need for labour geography to understand ‘transnational spheres of organising’. The increased focus on transnational solidarity provides an important framework for using scale to understanding different ways of organising (Wetlesen, 2008). This paper proposes to use a five part classification of labour responses to corporate globalisation to explore how scale influences labour organising. How and why workers organise at different scales of operation has implications for international solidarity. This paper will also explore some of the tensions between unions at national and international/ regional levels. Increasingly unions are pursuing multiple strategies of organising, for example, working with social movements as well as operating within formal social dialogue structures. The five part classification of labour responses to corporate globalisation can be seen as a historically evolving continuum. • 1. Multinational collective bargaining Multinational collective bargaining was an important attempt to engage with multinational companies but has been sometimes undermined by the perspectives of trade unions, which remained national in focus. National trade unions need to develop coherent transnational strategies by sector. • 2. Labour codes and codes of conduct Voluntary codes of conduct were a response to some of the failures of governments and international agencies to implement labour standards. However, they would be more effective if governments played a more active role in implementation. • 3. European/global workers councils and social dialogue European/global workers councils are structures, within multinational companies, that enable workers and management to discuss issues of concern. The short comings of these arrangements are that they are often under-resourced and meetings are only annual events. They highlight some of the national pressures that trade union representatives experience in trying to operate transnationally. • 4. New labour internationalism and community coalitions The development of union- community coalitions draws in a wider range of groups into labour struggles but understanding different organisational cultures and ways of organising takes a long time. The main issue for the future is how to maintain and sustain long term coalitions, sometimes over long distances. • 5. Organising marginalised workers – new forms of labour solidarity Specific initiatives to organise marginalised workers may pose some challenges for existing trade unions but workers in both informal and formal sectors need to work together and widen the scope of labour constituencies geographically. The uneven development of capitalism creates problems in bringing workers together (Ghigliani 2005).
Using two case studies of trade union campaigns involved in challenging privatisation and access ... more Using two case studies of trade union campaigns involved in challenging privatisation and access to health care services, which drew on transnational links and support, this paper argues that trade union relationships with civil society organisations cannot easily be formulated into a new model of working for trade unions. The first case study examines the anti-privatisation campaign in El Salvador in 2002-3, which drew on support from other trade union and civil society organisations as well as established transnational solidarity networks. The second case study looks at the joint COSASTU and Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa, which is campaigning for improved access to treatment for people with HIV/AIDS. This campaign also draws support from transnational networks. The concepts of ‘social movement unionism’ and ‘new labour internationalism’ may not provide the answer for future trade union strategies. The range of alliances and partnerships that trade unions are making, in their actions to fight neo-liberalism, do not fit securely into one model but, rather, give some insights into the ‘movement’ elements of trade unionism. These activities may sometimes create tension with collective bargaining and other institutional processes. This has implications for trade unions and civil society organisations involved in transnational networks. More has to be understood about what underpins effective and long lasting transnational solidarity.
This paper will explore the role of government and teacher trade unions in two periods, 1945-1979... more This paper will explore the role of government and teacher trade unions in two periods, 1945-1979 and 1988-2009, when the teaching profession underwent extensive change in the United Kingdom. The 1944 Education Act introduced measures that contributed to strengthening teaching as a profession after 1945. In contrast, the Educational Reform Act 1988 introduced a national curriculum which is viewed as having a more mixed impact on teachers. Research into professionals and professionalism has evolved throughout the twentieth century, often related to changes in the positions of professionals in society. By examining two different periods of the twentieth century, some of the trust relationships between professionals, state and society, will be examined over time. The relationship between professionals and governments is now being considered in terms of why states create professionals, rather than why professionals capture states. This examination of teachers in these two distinct periods will contribute to these debates.
(www.gre.ac.uk). PSIRU's research includes the maintenance of an extensive database on the econom... more (www.gre.ac.uk). PSIRU's research includes the maintenance of an extensive database on the economic, political, social and technical effects of liberalisation, privatisation and restructuring of public services worldwide, on the multinational companies involved, and on the policies of international financial institutions and
In 2005, a study of a group of multinational health care companies based in Europe and South East... more In 2005, a study of a group of multinational health care companies based in Europe and South East Asia explored the strategies being pursued by these companies in relation to the public health care sector (Lethbridge, 2005). The research found that companies in Europe were keen to become more involved in public sector provision. In South East Asia companies were concerned that middle class groups could use health insurance to access private sector health services. All companies were remarkably supportive of regulation, except in relation to ownership. There was also evidence that new systems of public sector pricing would benefit the private sector. This paper provides a follow- up to the strategies outlined by these companies five years ago. It explores to what extent the company strategic goals have been met and how strategies have evolved over the period. In one case, the company no longer operates health services. Several companies have changed ownership and all companies have been involved in both acquisitions and divestments. The paper will assess to what extent their relationships with the public health care sector have changed and what new strategies have been adopted. This will provide an important contribution to health policy debates. Wider understanding of multinational company behaviour is necessary to inform future health policy. The contribution that this paper will make to research methodologies is a further contribution to research, which aims to assess how multinational health care companies change over time and how their relationships with the public sector evolve.
Uploads
Papers by Jane Lethbridge