There is considerable debate over the merits of state-owned and state-managed services run on private sector principles – that is, corporatization. Evidence of the degree of ‘publicness’ in these service organizations is mixed and there is a need for finer-grained analyses of success factors for a more consistent comparison across regions and sectors. Are there positive lessons to be learned from examples of corporatization in different sectors and regions that could be applied elsewhere, and if so under what conditions? Are there inherent structural tensions within the corporatization model that cut across experiences with new public management, and can these be resolved?
The MSP is conducting coordinated empirical research on this topic with case studies in the electricity sector (Costa Rica, Malaysia, Tunisia) and the water sector (Burkina Faso, Philippines, Uruguay). These case studies will be complemented by overviews of the corporatization experience in Europe and the United States and will be published as a book, with the aim of advancing our understanding of what is arguably the single most important trend in ‘public’ service delivery today.