Public Health in a Retrenchment Era: An Alternative to Managerialism

Public Health in a Retrenchment Era illustrates the political and economic reality of making cutbacks in traditional government-sponsored programs. This book critically examines the issues concerning cutbacks by focusing on Los Angeles County, which has one of the largest public health service systems in the nation, and explains how cutbacks were legitimized and implemented.

Muller and Ventriss propose that the retrenchment process offers an opportunity for policymakers and citizens alike to critically examine new choices which may not have existed in periods of fiscal expansion. They criticize the present focus on managerialism and propose an alternative approach. Called the co-possibility model, it enhances a more humane and substantive policy approach in making cutbacks. This model links the citizen, policymaker, and public organization in a new relationship, fostering an environment for policy experimentation and innovation in this retrenchment era.