Welfare for those who can? The impact of the quasi-market on the lives of people with learning difficulties.

This article, drawing on the research findings from the ESRC-funded project 'The Meaning of the Learning Society for Adults with Learning Difficulties' explores how the introduction of the 1990 NHS and Community Care Act, with its emphasis on the establishment of a 'mixed economy' in social care, has affected the lives of people with learning difficulties living in a rural area of Scotland. The impact of the quasi-market, in particular the purchaser-provider split and the operation of contracts, on the lives of three adults with learning difficulties is examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]