Privatization and Economic Efficiency assesses the economic content of many of the beliefs surrounding privatization. It develops a new and novel inter-disciplinary approach linking economic and organizational dimensions.A series of case studies examines the theory, evidence and policy experience of privatization in developed and developing nations. These studies focus on the UK, US, Egypt and Jamaica. The book concludes that privatization is an appealingly simple phrase concealing many difficulties and problems for analysts, researchers and policymakers.

This book shows that privatization in Britain constitutes a form of state power. After analyzing the historical and ideological background, the study examines how market processes indirectly extend state control by governing participation in state asset sales, regulatory regimes, deregulated policymaking and the marketization of trade unions. Privatizing control remade British democracy. Direct state power has been concentrated and held in reserve, while market processes guide wide areas of routine decision-making. Thus, it is demonstrated that privatization has depoliticized choice and diminished freedom.

Privatization and Entrepreneurship: The Managerial Challenge in Central and Eastern Europe analyzes the challenges faced by managers in the transforming economies of Central and Eastern Europe and provides penetrating insights into the details of managing in the former socialist countries. This collection's combination of conceptual/theoretical material with empirical, firsthand case analysis prepares Western managers for a more profitable and less stressful entry into these significant markets.This enlightening book highlights the complexity and breadth of the issues and problems of successfully entering new markets in Central and Eastern Europe. Along the way, you are introduced to such topics as consumer behavior and shown the different forms of foreign direct investment with their associated problems and benefits. If you are searching for ways to better prepare for business in these markets, this book can help you meet your objectives with its helpful information on: ethical concerns and linguistic difficulties of managing in transforming economies management challenges of privatization management challenges of entrepreneurship strategic issues associated with the reorientation of enterprises corporate constituencies, changing consumers, labor unions, and pay practicesPrivatization and Entrepreneurship will prove valuable to policymakers in economic development and foreign aid agencies, executives of companies planning to expand into Europe and those already active in the region, and academicians and students in management, economics, and political science.

This title is the first in the Critical Perspectives on the World Economy series. With a new introduction by the editors it brings together the most significant contributions on privatization including material on the philosophical and historical context.
Specific subjects covered include:
* regulation and competition policy
* different forms and techniques of privatization
* the impact of privatization.
Drawing on an enormous range of sources, the collection includes material by Hayek, Harold Demsetz, Douglass North, Janos Kornai, Jean Tirole and Jeffrey Sachs. It is an indispensible reference for policy makers, as well as academics concerned with economic policy and public economics.

This book brings together specialists from different areas (governance, regulation, macro-econometrics, micro-econometrics, enterprise culture, foreign direct investment, technology transfer) to focus on the many different aspects of the privatization process in transition economies. The book does not dwell on the administrative or procedural aspects of privatization. Instead it attempts to understand the bigger picture in terms of underlying policy environment and supporting legal and economic measures which helped to a large extent to determine the eventual success or failure of privatization programs.

In many parts of the world, public enterprise is in crisis. Privatization programs are being widely promoted as the solution to many of the problems of inefficiency and slow rates of growth associated with public enterprise. This book discusses the underlying causes of those problems, and critically examines some of the solutions that have been adopted.
"Public Enterprise at the Crossroads" has a wide geographical scope and cuts across the political spectrum. The experiences of countries in four continents are analyzed, with explorations of current problems. The contributors find recurrent patterns; problems are often found to be political as well as economic, and bureaucracy and administrative confusion are seen as a major cause of poor financial performance. Yet since political aims, the economic environment, and administrative and managerial capacities vary so widely, universal solutions remain more difficult to define than universal problems.

This volume develops an analytical framework for the examination of the politics of privatisation. Dobek argues that privatisation is a strategy employed by politicians in their drive for power. The material resources and formal powers at the disposal of governments make them great patrons for the construction of coalitions, intended to promote the interests of political parties. The author further argues that, based on the examples of Great Britain and Poland, any privatisation campaign is ultimately shaped by political, rather than economic concerns. This text is designed to interest scholars and students of politics and economics.

Throughout the world, governments are reducing their involvement in the area of telecommunications. Some telecommunications are being fully or partly privatized while others are experiencing deregulation. The situation in six Asian countries, four European countries, and two Latin American countries are examined. In addition, there is one chapter on the telecommunications business in developing countries as a whole. All sections explore the interaction with encroaching competition, new technology, and a desire for greater freedom.

This book presents a comprehensive overview and critical analysis of the processes of liberalization and privatization, and their consequences for economic performance, social cohesion and political democracy in the European Union. It examines the main drivers and the various theoretical rationales for privatisation in the context of different schools of thinking.
It argues on the basis of broad empirical evidence that privatisation in Europe, particularly the ongoing privatization of social services, undermines the basic elements of the different social models that have developed in Europe. These arguments are supported by a number of in-depth case studies, with specific focus on health care, education and finance. The authors of this volume advance from this critique and explore the basic requirements for a progressive public sector and its role for economic, social and democratic development.
This book will be indispensable reading for all interested in Economic Policy, Public Sector Economics, European Integration and Political Science.

The post-communist European countries have faced enormous political and economic problems in attempting the transformation to a market oriented economy through two of the most important channels influencing this process--privatization and foreign investments. Focusing on Russia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Poland, the authors examine the trends toward privatization and the problems facing the countries economic managers and foreign investors. They explore what can be done to increase foreign direct and equity investment given the political risks involved in the economic transformation. Scholars and students of international economics, international trade, Russian and Eastern European studies, and government and international agencies should find this study on the relationship between privatization and foreign investment informative and useful.

Privatization began in the 1970s with Carter's deregulation of some business, and increased with the Thatcher administration in the United Kingdom, the Reagan administration in the United States, and many communist and socialist countries. One area of concern in privatization is transportation--airports, water ports, roads, and mass transit. Privatization can be implemented in financing, construction, operation, and maintenance of the transportation system, the main motives being the belief that the private sector can be more efficient than the public sector, and because public funds are becoming less plentiful for a variety of reasons. The focus is on ideas and innovations for expanding the private role in transportation. Specifically covered are ideas and innovations for expanding the role of private sector in U.S. transportation projects, private financing of urban transportation, airport privatization, water port improvement, toll roads, and competitive contracting for transit services. The distinguished list of contributors includes the co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Economics, William Vickrey. The audience for the work are scholars dealing with the discussions concerning the economics and politics of privatization, business people who are likely to be interested in potential opportunities, governmental regulators and staff, and policy makers.

In recent decades, privatisation has been a key policy instrument in the move to more market-based economic systems in all parts of the developing world. Privatisation, however, has not necessarily been accompanied by an increase in market competition. In recent years, many public utilities have been privatised as monopolies and in addition regulatory systems have been developed to restrict their market power and protect the interests of consumers. These authoritative volumes bring together a collection of important papers that have shed new theoretical and empirical insights into privatisation and regulation and have provided new policy perspectives in relation to developing countries. Privatisation in Developing Countries will appeal to policymakers and researchers at the forefront of economic policy debates in developing countries.

The late Honourable Michael Wilson was a Canadian politician and business professional. As Minister of Finance under Brian Mulroney, Wilson was one of the key negotiators of the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement - one of Canada's most important economic agreements in the last 50 years, later superseded by NAFTA. In addition, Wilson was responsible for implementing the controversial Goods and Services Tax (GST), which remains key to the federal government today. After his life in Parliament, Wilson served as Ambassador to the United States and Chancellor of the University of Toronto. Outside of politics, Wilson was active in raising awareness of mental health issues following the traumatic loss of his son, Cameron, to suicide. Devoting considerable time to advocacy, he established the Cameron Parker Holcombe Wilson Chair in Depression Studies at the University of Toronto and served as Board Chair for the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Something within Me highlights how Wilson's personal life blended with his political life and accomplishments, detailing his advocacy for mental health awareness as well his involvement in important pieces of legislation that made significant impacts in Canadian political and economic history. These deeply personal stories, particularly those of a father grappling with his son's illness and death, remind us of the lives behind the political personas that shape our world.

Regulatory economics has become increasingly important over the last quarter of a century, in part as a result of the wave of privatization, starting in the UK, which made the regulation of monopoly of much greater interest. The discipline has also become more rigorous, increasingly employing powerful analytical and econometric methods. This volume brings together some of the leading contributions to the literature on privatization and regulation. The book is an invaluable resource for scholars, policymakers and regulators in the study of privatization and regulation.

Why were the European middle classes ready to acquiesce in neo-liberalism? This book argues that upward mobility, the growth of individual and family assets, the growing significance of private provision, and processes of individualization contributed to a major transformation of the middle classes, making them more prone to embrace inequality and market principles. It shows how the self-interest of large sections of the middle classes undermined social democracy and paved the way for neo-liberal reforms, making their socio-economic positioning ever more precarious and reducing their political power. Central to the debate is the question of how the middle classes can rebalance the relationship between the Market and state intervention, so as to establish a new social equilibrium.

Limits to Privatization is the first thorough audit of privatizations from around the world. It outlines the historical emergence of globalization and liberalization, and from analyses of over 50 case studies of best- and worst-case experiences of privatization, it provides guidance for policy and action that will restore and maintain the right balance between the powers and responsibilities of the state, the private sector and the increasingly important role of civil society.The result is a book of major importance that challenges one of the orthodoxies of our day and provides a benchmark for future debate.

Privatization is now a universal practice and is the result of a set of interrelated factors, all of which are explored in this collection. Privatization has also become an academic industry, generating a vast outpouring of books and articles. This authoritative two volume collection, which includes a new introduction by the editors, concentrates on the public policy of privatization, and explores its dimensions by presenting key theoretical and empirical articles. The volumes are also clearly interdisciplinary, bringing together for the first time articles informed by political science, economics and sociology. The collection will be invaluable for both practitioners and academics, especially those involved in the study of applied economics, public policy and political science.

This timely new book provides an international perspective on Public Private Partnerships. Through 21 case studies, it investigates the existing and fast developing body of principles and practices from a wide range of countries and is the first book to bring together leading international academics and practitioners under a common framework that enables convenient cross-country comparisons. The authors focus on the impact of the financial crisis has had on how governments have reviewed and overhauled their PPP policies as they have examined or tested new ways of partnering more effectively, efficiently and sustainably with the private sector. Readers will be able to gauge the level of maturity of PPP development in the book's case studies, understand similarities and differences in their practices, and gain useful insights into the regulatory framework and institutional infrastructure in place to support implementation of PPP. Finally, the book offers insights into the future challenges and opportunities that PPP offers stakeholders.

Originally published in 1984, Privatisation and the Welfare State brings together a distinguished set of experts on the Welfare State and its main policy areas of health care, housing, education and transport. Each chapter provides some much-needed analysis of privatisation policies in areas where, too often, political rhetoric is allowed to dominate discussion. The book makes a major contribution to the reader's understanding of the complex issues involved in this controversial area of social policy. As the first systematic evaluation of a broad range of welfare state privatisation proposals, it is essential reading for economists, social administrators, and political scientists.

Legitimized by the arguments of efficiency gains, public housing, pensions, unemployment insurance and health care are all being gradually privatized. In many countries, even the state's 'night-watchmen' role of providing security is offered by private prisons and security guards. In the face of these and other developments, this book argues that on the basis of efficiency, morality and equality there is still an overwhelming need for public intervention - the res publica. Public or Private Goods? brings together leading scholars from various disciplines including economics, sociology, political science, geography and spatial planning. The book explores core public tasks that the state has traditionally provided but which are increasingly privatized and subsumed into the private sector. For example, although the state still funds and regulates core domains, it provides fewer and fewer visible goods. The authors show how this apparent invisibility of the state presents serious challenges for both income equality and democracy. This thoughtful interdisciplinary book will appeal to advanced students and academics in political science, public sector economics and public finance. It will also provide stimulating reading for politicians, policymakers and anyone interested in the provision of public services. Contributors include: F. Blank, G. Bonvissuto, J. Ferwerda, M. Getzner, G. Gutheil-Knopp-Kirchwald, J. Kadi, T. Knijn, I. Koetsier, J. Lewis, B. Unger, D. van der Linde, K. van Egmond, F. van Waarden

At the end of the 1970s, the prospect of privatising public enterprises which operated in sectors such as water, telecommunications, railways or air transportation seemed a thoroughly unappealing one in political terms. Not even the future privatisation champion, the British Conservative Party, envisaged this kind of reform when it came to power in 1979. with the EU region at the forefront of these developments. What are the factors that explain this shift? This text rejects the two dominant explanations provided in literature, which include a simple Americanisation of policy and a varied privatisation experience without a common driving force. country from the 1980s to the beginning of the twenty first century, the authors show how the process of European integration and the need for internationally competitive industries have constituted key driving forces in the quest for privatisation across the EU. As privatisation slows down at the turn of the millennium, what future can citizens expect for public enterprises?

Originally published in 1984, Privatisation and the Welfare State brings together a distinguished set of experts on the Welfare State and its main policy areas of health care, housing, education and transport. Each chapter provides some much-needed analysis of privatisation policies in areas where, too often, political rhetoric is allowed to dominate discussion. The book makes a major contribution to the reader's understanding of the complex issues involved in this controversial area of social policy. As the first systematic evaluation of a broad range of welfare state privatisation proposals, it is essential reading for economists, social administrators, and political scientists.

This textbook is a development of Financial Reporting by Alexander and Britton, and is designed to meet the emerging demand for coverage of international accounting standards (IASs) and the globalization of accounting in advanced courses. It is predicated on an IAS framework but the European directives, especially as regards detailed formats having no direct equivalent in IASs, are discussed in detail. The European context and, in the case of important markets, the national context is recognised and contrasted with the international approach. Important non-European influences, especially those from the US, are also included in order to provide a genuinely wide-ranging appreciation of the implications of accounting internationalism. Part 1 contains coverage of the theoretical underpinnings of financial reporting in an international context. It also describes the international, European and domestic regulatory framework of accounting. Part 2 starts by analysing the legal background of the concept of capital and profit.

Privatization, Deregulation and the Macroeconomy focuses on the macroeconomic consequences of microeconomic rigidity in the markets for goods or services and the reforms necessary to create economic dynamism. Peter van Bergeijk and Robert Haffner address questions of how market structure, competition policy, over-regulation and collusive behaviour may influence macroeconomic performance. Drawing on many examples from the OECD countries (most notably, Germany, New Zealand, Australia and the Netherlands), Eastern Europe and the Third World, the authors show how economic policies intended to provide greater flexibility can be analysed. The authors examine the diagnosis or measurement of product market inertia at the mesoeconomic level and its consequences at the macroeconomic level such as employment, per capita income growth and price stability. In Privatization, Deregulation and the Macroeconomy, Peter van Bergeijk and Robert Haffner deal not only with practical policy matters but also with the theoretical issues of how to determine price rigidity (hysteresis on the product markets) and their macroeconomic implications. This book will be welcomed by economists interested in industrial organization, macroeconomics, neo Keynesianism, development economics and transitional economies and will also be of interest to policymakers.