Delegated Governance in Segmented Welfare Regimes: How Non‐State Provision Shaped Childcare Policy Outcomes in Mexico

What are the implications of delegated provision for social policy outcomes in fragmented welfare regimes? Recent childcare policy reforms in Latin America have occurred in contexts characterised by deep segmentation and dualised labour markets, resulting in policies with varying models of service provision. I analyse how the delegation model to non‐state providers shapes crucial outcomes of public services. Using the case of the expansion of the Mexican public childcare system in the 2000s, I show how the choice of non‐state providers and the degree of state engagement in service provision condition the quality and accountability of public childcare. Drawing upon aggregate indicators and focus groups with parents using childcare services, the study compares policy characteristics and outcomes across childcare subsystems. The results show that the system's architecture generated inequalities in the quality and accountability of such services, perpetuating the insider–outsider divide.