Rethinking the Welfare State: The prospects for ... - e-Library

Rethinking the selfare state 166
secondary education system performs a dual role: (a) providing individuals with
economically essential skills and (b) forming citizens who will be contributing members
of a democratic society In furtherance of the first goal, dynamism, innovation, productive
efficiency and responsiveness are key requirements. To satisfy the second demand, a
well-ordered, equitable, and accountable system is likely to be preferred. Ensuring that
each of these goals is met requires complex and contentious judgements about the
relative scope of legitimate government action and the free market. Consequently, the
convergence of equity and efficiency is not a straightforward consequence of the
introduction of school vouchers. Nevertheless, on at least one reading of the limited
empirical evidence on school choice to date, 174 school choice not only improves parental
satisfaction levels and the academic performance of students, but also fosters greater
racial integration and greater tolerance towards minorities—not small achievements—
suggesting in turn that we can achieve a better set of trade-offs than our present system of
public education provides.