Local government reform: Privatisation and its alternatives

Abstract

Privatisation is only one of several alternatives for local government reform. Problems with lack of cost savings and the challenges of contract management have led local government reformers to explore other alternatives including municipal corporations, relational contracting and dynamic market management. Empirical analysis shows concerns with fiscal stress, efficiency, and managing political and citizen interests drive the reform process more than ideology. We argue that a more comprehensive framework is needed that gives attention to a wider array of alternatives for institutional reform.

Notes

1 These papers were presented at the Barcelona International Workshop on Local Government Reform: Privatization and Public–Private Collaboration, held on 12/13 June 2006 at the University of Barcelona, Spain. The workshop gathered scholars from the fields of economics, public policy and public administration, political science, and business and management. Overall, 23 papers from 11 different countries were presented. The six full articles included here were selected because of their quality and the relevance of the contributions they make.