Butcher, John2021-03-250313-6647http://hdl.handle.net/1885/227815Externalised service provision is now an embedded feature of Australia's service delivery architecture. However, the lessons drawn from two decades of contracted service delivery suggest that “competition” is an imperfect platform for the delivery of public services, especially where issues of trust in government come into play. Could the concept of a “social license to operate” (SLO), which has been in use in the natural resources sector for over two decades, help to facilitate the conferral of greater trust, credibility and legitimacy upon governments, and externalised service providers in social policy spaces?application/pdfen-AU© 2018 Institute of Public Administration Australiacommissioningexternalised service provisionhuman services contractingnot-for-profit organisationsprocurementsocial licence to operatetrust in government201910.1111/1467-8500.123402020-11-22