Symposium Issue: Lawyering for a New Democracy *575 PUBLIC INTEREST LAWYERS AND NEW GOVERNANCE: ADVOCATING FOR HEALTHCARE

Scholars and lawyers working in the area of public policy have been preoccupied with the issue of how to maintain social values in a shifting governance framework. Much of the debate has been focused on specific sectors and defensive strategies. In the area of welfare reform, in particular, criticism has been directed at cutbacks in client benefits and reduced provider accountability due to the transfer of authority to local, non-governmental organizations. [FN1] An alternative strand of scholarship has focused on how these same shifts in governance have the potential to produce humane social policy. [FN2] They note the potential for increased participation at the local level, greater collaboration, and reduced adversarial positioning.