Page "Legal aid" Paragraph 4

In the 1980s the role of the classic welfare state was no longer regarded as necessarily positive and welfare was increasingly provided by private entities.

This led to legal aid being increasingly provided through private providers, but remained focused on providing assistance in court cases.

Citizens were increasingly regarded as consumers, who should be able to choose among services.

Where it was not possible to provide such a choice citizens were given the right to voice their dissatisfaction through administrative complaints processes.

This resulted in tension, as legal aid was not designed to offer advice to those seeking redress through administrative complaints processes.

Tensions also began to emerged as states which emphasised individual enforcement of economic, social and cultural rights, rather than collective enforcement through polices, reduced funding for legal aid as a welfare state provision.

Individual enforcement of welfare entitlement requires the kind of legal aid funding states emphasising collective enforcement were more likely to provide.