Competition policy and intra‐professional conflict: re‐regulating general practice

Abstract

This paper investigates a case whereby the historical monopoly of a medical college was challenged by internal dissenters and also by external pressure in the form of national competition policy. The case is particularly notable in that the apparently private domain of medical training is now subject to explicit public involvement of a transparent and regulated nature. Based on in‐depth interviews and primary documents, the paper argues that in contributing to marketisation, the latent schism and tensions within Australian general practice have, consequently contributed to a decrease in professional autonomy and independence.

Citation

Dwan, K. and Boyce, R.A. (2003), "Competition policy and intra‐professional conflict: re‐regulating general practice", International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 141-152. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513550310467993