System change
Thus it happened that in the 1990s Sweden embarked on
one of the most far-reaching privatisation programmes in
the Western world. Publicly financed schools, hospitals,
health clinics and geriatric care were all offered to be run
as business ventures by private investors. No distinction
was made between for-profit and not-for-profit ‘providers’.
Furthermore, private providers of publicly financed
services were free to start new schools and new health
clinics at their discretion. Through free competition for
customers (pupils) and clients (the sick and the elderly)
efficiency would increase and costs would decrease and
there would be better welfare for less money.
This has largely turned out be a political illusion.
After it was discovered that investor-owned schools had
manipulated grades (to attract new customers) and
investor-owned homes for the elderly had understaffed
their operations and mistreated their clients (to reduce
costs and increase profits), there has a been a public
outcry against the excesses of privatisation and the
unrestricted pursuit of profits. Perhaps the most
provocative consequence of the new Swedish system
has been the large-scale entry of private equity firms
into the welfare business. They now do not only own
and run a growing share of the publicly financed school
and welfare systems, but have also managed to squeeze
large profits out of them. Even more provocative have
been the advanced schemes employed to shelter these
profits from taxation.
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Läs hela artikeln Här. En av de bättre historiska överblickarna om Sveriges samhällsutveckling. Mot slutet blir han lite vag, men där får man väl fylla i själv.
Tangerar en del av mina mer drastiska inlägg: Här och Här och Här.
Min text om hans bok från i höstas finns Här.
Och Här en artikel av Rosenberg om de problematiska vårdvinsterna. Här hans radiokrönika om bankbonusbusar.
Klok man. Läst utdrag ur hans "Plikten, profiten och konsten att vara människa" Väldigt klarsynt läsning.
SvaraRaderaAh. Den har jag inte läst - men såg den just i litteraturlistan när jag sökte på Rosenberg. Kanske ligger en del artiklar ur den på nätet?
SvaraRaderaAkademikern i mig väntar på historieskrivningen av det här. Orsakssammanhangen, när man kunnat forska på det. För det var en socialdemokratisk regering som gjorde det. Det var väl inte mycket mer än Apoteket kvar åt alliansregeringen att privatisera. Jag får inte någonstans i min skalle ihop det.
SvaraRaderaVet inte om du läste hela Rosenbergs artikel, länken, för då klarnar det.
SvaraRaderaFaktabanken må finnas någon annanstans, Annannan, i Riksdagen arkiv bland annat.