In this volume the leading scholars and practitioners in the field provide a comprehensive, in-depth examination of trends in privatization throughout the world. Focusing primarily on the experiences of seventeen countries--including developing countries, advanced industrial nations, and socialist states--the book explores theoretical approaches toward the issues inherent in privatization and deregulation, specifies techniques for successful privatization, and examines the cost-benefits and limits of privatization policies. The contributors then present a series of twenty detailed case studies which assess the actual problems and prospects associated with privatization and deregulation policy choices across varied sociopolitical systems and a range of economic sectors. The result is the most extensive comparative public policy analysis yet published on the subject of privatization and deregulation. Following an introductory overview which addresses the interaction between privatization, deregulation and market liberalization within both developed and developing country policy environments, the contributors discuss the philosophical bases of privatization policies, examine the seminal experiences of Britain and the United States, and identify factors responsible for successful privatization efforts. This is followed by case studies of privatization in such sectors as finance, transportation, health care, housing, and telecommunications around the world. After special sectoral studies of developing country finance, debt-equity conversions, and international air transport, the authors successively survey the experience of privatization in selected Latin American, Caribbean, West African and Asian developing nations; in the advanced industrial nations of Canada, France, New Zealand, and Sweden; and in the socialist countries of China, Hungary, and Poland. In their conclusion, the editors discuss the immediate implications of the contributors' findings and suggest research directions for the future. Numerous explanatory tables and figures are included, making this an ideal supplemental text for courses in business, government, and public policy.

Documents the recent developments in privatisation through 25 country case-studies. The studies outline the varying privatisation programmes, comparing them with material from developed, developing and former communist countries.

Documents the recent developments in privatisation through 25 country case-studies. The studies outline the varying privatisation programmes, comparing them with material from developed, developing and former communist countries.

This study into regulatory reform shows that technological impacts on the economic benefits and costs of regulation and a deeper understanding of the social effects of the regulatory institution are driving policymakers to question the familiar and to propose daring changes.

The contributions in this publication are an outcome of growing concerns around the world about the prevailing inefficiencies in agriculture and agribusiness and the need to improve productivity, profitability, and financial sustainability of agriculture and agribusiness by privatizing state- owned enterprises and eliminating unnecessary government regulations. It is in this context that an international symposium was organized on April 19-30, 1993, to address these policy concerns and thereby to improve the long-term prospects for productive and financially sustainable agriculture and agribusiness development. The policy issues addressed herein were identified in a series of discussions at IFDC and with the authors. The main objectives were to focus on analytical policy issues that accelerate the process of privatization and market deregulation of publicly owned and operated enterprises and to provide necessary operational guidelines for policy reforms. This publication is structured around four main topics: (1) the role of agribusiness in economic development; (2) possible approaches and guidelines for privatization and deregulation of agribusiness; (3)the necessary enabling policy environment for privatization and deregulation; and (4) selected case studies. The views expressed in this publication belong solely to the respective authors and should not be attributed to IFDC, World Bank, or other organizations represented. Readers should keep in mind that when authors refer to `current' or `present' situations, they generally mean 1992/93 unless otherwise specified.

Electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, railways, and water supply, are often vertically and horizontally integrated state monopolies. This results in weak services, especially in developing and transition economies, and for poor people. Common problems include low productivity, high costs, bad quality, insufficient revenue, and investment shortfalls. Many countries over the past two decades have restructured, privatized and regulated their infrastructure. This report identifies the challenges involved in this massive policy redirection. It also assesses the outcomes of these changes, as well as their distributional consequences for poor households and other disadvantaged groups. It recommends directions for future reforms and research to improve infrastructure performance, identifying pricing policies that strike a balance between economic efficiency and social equity, suggesting rules governing access to bottleneck infrastructure facilities, and proposing ways to increase poor people's access to these crucial services.

A useful volume for those interested in the development of privatization around the world. J. Prager, Choice This accessible book aims to inform readers interested in assessing privatization and market development concepts on a global scale, and outlines a range of thinking on how these policy ideas have moved around the globe. Bringing together an international team of contributors, the book traces how privatization concepts have grown in application, and how they have spread to become a central policy idea for governments. And whilst interest in the initial policy of selling-off state owned enterprises has peaked, the contracting and partnership modes of privatization have risen to global prominence. This book also reflects on the importance of the privatization family of ideas on both developed and developing countries. Privatization and Market Development will be of great interest to those involved in public administration and public policy making from a global perspective.

The papers contained in this volume were among those presented at ECSSR's Third Annual Energy Conference, entitled "Privatization and Deregulation in the Gulf Energy Sector," held in Abu Dhabi, October 25-26, 1997. This conference united leading practitioners and scholars in an effort to explore the important micro and macro issues related to the privatization and deregulation of energy sector. Topics related to oil production and refining, gas and electricity production, and their transmission and distribution were discussed. This volume assesses the arguments for and against deregulation of the energy sector and highlights the political, legal, institutional, and resource requirements for successful implementation of a privatization program, drawing on international experience. Indeed, privatization is spreading globally after its small and uncertain beginnings in Britain in the early 1980s. Today, states of the Gulf Co-Operation Council (GCC) are actively examining the possibility of privatizing a number of key industries and infrastructure projects. The ideal route to prosperous and effective privatization programs is for the GCC states to learn from the mistakes of other countries in this field, while emulating the success stories.