This book analyses recent reform trends of European health care systems. Using eight European countries case studies it connects policy reforms with a healthcare quadrilemma, and compares how well these systems perform in terms of economic efficiency, medical achievements, social inequalities, and responsiveness to patients and workers.

This innovative book explores the introduction and impact of marketization and managerialism in social policy by adopting a dual perspective, considering both governance and human resources. Welfare governance (e.g. welfare mix, regulation, employment conditions, customer involvement) has changed significantly in the past decade. The editors and contributors collectively assesses these processes not only by comparing different policy fields and countries, but also by taking a close look inside organizations, examining the coping strategies of professionals, and how they adapt to new models of...