Suchergebnisse

In December 2001, the 'New Labour' Government completed an incremental policy shift across the devolved polity of the UK that saw a significant increase in public investment committed to national museums and galleries in return for the provision of free access to their general collections. In response to this financial incentive, the vast majority of national museums and galleries that levied charges for general admission acted to remove these charges. The removal of general admission charges had been an important Labour Party policy commitment in Opposition, and senior Labour politicians pointed to the 2001 removal of charges as a major achievement in relation to the Labour Government's public policy agenda. This article examines the Labour Government's 2001 policy drive toward the removal of general admission charges at the national museums and galleries, and reports on research conducted during 2002 into the early implementation of this public policy shift.

English
Since their introduction into the National Health Service (NHS) in the early 1950s, charges have continually courted controversy. This article examines the role that charges have played within the context of the NHS. It examines the political rhetoric as well as more practical aspects of charging policies. It recognises that policy makers have historically relied upon charges as a means of raising revenue and of blunting frivolous demand. Nevertheless, political realities and practical constraints may serve to limit aspirations of achieving substantially increased revenues through the imposition of additional charges.