Technology and the Welfare StateEdition 1

Technology and the Welfare State (1991) explores the relationship between technological innovation, welfare and levels of economic activity. Drawing on a wide literature spanning many disciplines, it explores the influence of technological change upon the development of health service production in America and Britain since the mid-nineteenth century. The analysis is based upon a broad perspective on technological innovation which embraces changes in social organization. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between government action, long-term changes in economic activity and the course of innovation in health care. The case study of health care forms the basis for demonstrating the potential contribution that an analysis of technological change can make to constructing theoretical explanations for the development of welfare states. These insights cast light on the contemporary debate about ‘crisis’ and future viability of the welfare state.