Author Description

It describes the neo-liberal view of the market, in which the role of the state is regarded as minimal, and taxation and regulation are viewed mainly as controversial impositions on business. [...] In this view, the state is the best guarantor that childcare services will be reliable and in particular, will meet the needs of the most vulnerable alongside those of the strongest, each benefiting from each other's participation in the service (Sandel, 2009). [...] For example, researchers at NEF undertook an analysis of the social value of the contribution of childcare workers in the UK to the economy and concluded that they contributed more to the economy than accountants and bankers! (New Economics Foundation, 2009). [...] Lanchester (2010) suggests that for nearly half a century, after the end of the Second World War, most developed economies were inspired by the idea of a just, fair and equitable society, in which the state played a major role in redistributing wealth through tax and benefits, and in providing universal services for its citizens. [...] Any capital investment is dependent on local property prices, and the investment in a building is covered by the potential sale value of the property if the childcare ceases to be profitable.