Exits, Voices and Social Investment

by Dowding, Keith; John, Peter

• ISBN13: 9781107022423
• ISBN10: 1107022428
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-05-28
• Publisher: Cambridge Univ Pr

Summary

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.

Table of Contents

Hirschman's original idea

Exits, voices and the object of loyalty

Exit, voice, loyalty and neglect

The structure of UK public services and some simple relationships

Evidence of the major EVL relationships

Exit, voice and welfare

Summary of the empirical literature testing EVL

Note on statistical methods

The survey instrument

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