Drawing on explanations from social policy, management and organisation theory, politics and professional practice, this provocative and controversial analysis provides an understanding of the nature of transition from a welfare state towards a market in health care, social care and other sectors of public service. Managing to Care seeks to establish the place of the user and the citizen in the design, commissioning and delivery of welfare. The author argues that managing in welfare is not about how to control, but how to enable; not about how to maximise profit, but how to enfranchise.