Privatization in Practice

Cost efficiency was the initial goal of privatization--achieved in many cases but not consistently. Public services provided by the private sector were cheap in the beginning but became increasingly expensive, especially to low-income citizens. The lessons learned from early successes and failures gave birth to a new goal--effectiveness of services, as measured by accountable results. Government officials are not looking just for proven budget savings; they must also be concerned with the quality of public services and ultimately the happiness of citizens and communities. In its updated second edition, this collection of essays explores the good and the bad sides of privatization.