A critical examination of data for market stewardship: The case of the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme

Abstract

Market mechanisms have emerged as a dominant approach in the provision of public welfare services, most notably in sectors such as disability care, aged care, and health care. While this shift promises potential benefits such as improved efficiency, enhanced service quality, and increased consumer support, it also presents significant challenges around equity, access, and the potential for market failure in the absence of effective regulation and governance. Stewardship of quasi-markets from the national to the local level is essential for the success of such programs, and the effectiveness of that stewardship relies in part on good-quality data for decision-making. This research note provid..