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Privatization
of local services has increased in the developed countries since the
early eighties. The spread of the privatization movement is grounded
in the fundamental belief that 1) market competition in the private
sector is a more efficient way to provide government services and
allows for greater citizen choice, and 2) Private production is more
efficient than public production. Both of these assumptions are subject
to criticism - both from a theoretical and an empirical point.
In
the last decades, many analytical efforts have been devoted to study
the theoretical foundations as well as the empirical evidence on
local privatization, thus analyzing the factors explaining the privatization
decision, as well as the economic results from privatization. Empirical
studies do not provide clear evidence on the costs and benefits
of privatization. Moreover, in practice, concerns about service
quality, social equity, and employment conditions raise skepticism
of privatization.
TOPICS:
Within this general framework, the key themes for the special issue
are the following ones:
- Theoretical underpinnings for local privatization.
- Factors explaining the decision to privatize.
- Economic consequences of privatization: Form of production and
costs.
- Monitoring activities and contracting costs as a consequence of
privatization.
- Privatization, market concentration and competition.
- Alternatives to privatization.
- Reverse privatization
- Concerns with meeting wider government obligations to citizens
(public service) which can be undermined in the market delivery
process.
- The suppression of compulsory competitive tendering in the UK
in 1998. Causes and consequences.
Registration fee will be waived for accepted papers.
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