President Bush's 1000 points of light, with its deemphasis on federal services, serves to flame this decades' debate over the effectiveness of public versus private services. Does the private sector provide better services more efficiently than the public sector? Captive Populations examines this debate by comparing for-profit, nonprofit, and government service delivery for dependent populations. Focus is placed on services for captive groups: education and child-care, health-care systems, criminal justice services, and long-term care for the elderly. Kronenfeld and Whicker have directed themselves to scholars and practitioners in public health, health administration, public policy, public administration, gerontology, criminal justice, social work, and education. They review service delivery issues and provide a broad comparative perspective.

Captive Populations focuses on services for the young, the incarcerated, the sick, and the elderly. Kronenfeld and Whicker thoroughly explore the advantages and disadvantages of public versus nonprofit and private service delivery for each of these dependent populations. They then summarize the similarities and differences across the four service and captive population areas. They discuss implications of the growth of for-profit care in the United States and conclude with recommendations.