Social services, Economic participation, Spatial differences
Abstract
This paper investigates the participation of institutions in the provision of health, welfare and other social services, as well as the user contribution in the financing of those services. The source of information is from a household and institutions survey conducted in central and northern Greece. Most respondents agreed that the state must provide more social services and that users must contribute in covering the costs of the services. The analysis presents interesting differences in attitudes among clusters of regions which represent various levels of development and offers useful conclusions for social policy. One important conclusion is that the users usually pay less for social services than what they believe they should contribute. A second conclusion is that in some sectors local government could assume a greater role in the provision of services, although the majority of households and institutions believe that the state should continue to be the main provider for social services. Efforts towards modernization should explore alternative solutions for financing and service provision which involve increased participation from local government and users.
