1st Edition
Alternatives to Privatization Public Options for Essential Services in the Global South
There is a vast literature for and against privatizing public services. Those who are against privatization are often confronted with the objection that they present no alternative. This book takes up that challenge by establishing theoretical models for what does (and does not) constitute an alternative to privatization, and what might make them ‘successful’, backed up by a comprehensive set of empirical data on public services initiatives in over 40 countries. This is the first such global survey of its kind, providing a rigorous and robust platform for evaluating different alternatives and allowing for comparisons across regions and sectors. The book helps to conceptualize and evaluate what has become an important and widespread movement for better public services in the global South. The contributors explore historical, existing and proposed non-commercialized alternatives for primary health, water/sanitation and electricity. The objectives of the research have been to develop conceptual and methodological frameworks for identifying and analyzing alternatives to privatization, and testing these models against actually existing alternatives on the ground in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Information of this type is urgently required for practitioners and analysts, both of whom are seeking reliable knowledge on what kind of public models work, how transferable they are from one place to another and what their main strengths and weaknesses are.
1. Introduction: In Search of Alternatives to Privatization David A. McDonald and Greg Ruiters 2. Weighing the Options: Methodological Considerations David A. McDonald and Greg Ruiters Part 1: Actors, Issues and Ideologies 3. Terrains of Neoliberalism: Constraints and Opportunities for Alternative Models of Service Delivery Ben Fine and David Hall 4. Transformative Resistance: The Role of Labour and Trade Unions in Alternatives to Privatization Hilary Wainwright 5. Gendering Justice, Building Alternative Futures Chandra Talpade Mohanty and Sarah Miraglia 6. Social Movement Struggles for Public Services Susan Spronk and Philipp Terhorst 7. Careful What You Ask For: State-Led Alternatives to Privatization David A. McDonald and Greg Ruiters Part 2: Sectoral and Regional Reviews. Asia: Regional Overview Jenina Joy Chavez 8. Creating, Reclaiming, Defending: Non-Commercialized Alternatives in the Health Sector in Asia Amit Sengupta 9. Springs of Hope: Alternatives to Commercialization of Water Recourses and Services in Asia Buenaventura Dragantes, Cheryl Batistel and Mary Ann Manahan 10. The Public in Asia Power Nepomuceno Malaluan Africa: Regional Overview Greg Ruiters 11. African Triage: Assessing Alternatives to Health Care Privatization South of the Sahara Yoswa M. Dambisya and Hyacinth Eme Ichoku 12. Where Have All the Alternatives Gone?: The Shrinking of African Water Policy Options Kate Bayliss and Al-hassan Adam 13. Electrifying Africa: Turning a Continental Challenge into a People’s Opportunity Terri Hathaway Latin America and the Caribbean: Regional Overview Susan Spronk 14. Progressive Alternatives in Primary Health Care in Latin America Luis Ortiz Hernández, Iliana Camacho Cuapio, Catalina Eibenschutz Hartman and Silvia Tamez González 15. Struggles for Water Justice in Latin America: Public and ‘Social-Public’ Alternatives Susan Spronk, Carlos Crespo and Marcela Olivera 16. Alternatives in the Electricity Sector in Latin America Daniel Chavez Part 3: Looking Ahead 17. Conclusion: Ways Forward for Alternatives in Health, Water and Electricity David A. McDonald and Greg Ruiters
Biography
David A. McDonald is Professor of Global Development Studies at Queen's University.
Greg Ruiters is Director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research and Matthew Goniwe Chair of Development and Society at Rhodes University.
