Professions, State and the Market

This unique book enhances our understanding of the links between professions, the state and the market – and their implications for the public in terms of professional practice. In so doing, the book adopts a neo-Weberian perspective, in which professions are seen as a form of exclusionary social closure based on legal boundaries established by the state. To illustrate the overarching theme, the book considers how healthcare in general, and medicine in particular as a form of professional work, is organized in public and private arenas in three societies with different socio-political philosophies - namely, Britain, the United States and Russia. As such, it examines the varying extent to which the development of independent professional organizations has been enhanced or restricted in public, as compared to more privatized social contexts. The comparative perspective adopted in this book thereby provides insight into the organization of professional work in different contexts and the all-important effects of this on delivery to the public.This book will be of particular interest to scholars, researchers and students of Management, Public Policy and Health Care.

'Mike Saks is very well suited for this project, he has written, published and presented on this kind of material over a number of years. His writing style is lucid and has clarity and he presents complex theoretical ideas in a clear and accessible style.' - Mike Dent, Emeritus Professor of Health Care Organisation, Staffordshire University, UK'This book is a tour de force from one of the leading neo-Weberian thinkers on the professions. Using a comparative frame, and taking medicine and health as a case study, Saks considers the extent to which different socio-political philosophies have shaped the organisation of professional work in the US, UK and Russia. He also has some important messages about development of professionalism and its implications for clients and the wider public in these different socio-political contexts. As such the book will be of considerable interest to students of the professions and to professionals themselves.' - Jonathan Gabe, Professor, Royal Holloway University of London, UK'Sociological explanations of the rise, fall and resilience of the medical profession have been seriously limited by the ability to fully understand the influence of the socio-political context of the health care system. Drawing on a primarily neo-Weberian perspective, this excellent, international comparative analysis effectively fills this gap and provides unique insights into the relationship between different healthcare systems and medical professionalism.' - Michael Calnan, Professor, University of Kent, UK

Mike Saks is Research Professor in Health Policy at University Campus Suffolk, UK, and Visiting Professor at the University of Lincoln, UK, and the University of Toronto, Canada. He has published over a dozen books with top publishers on professions, health care and research methods.