Alternatives to Privatization: Public Options for Essential Services in the Global South, published by Routledge and HSRC Press.
Speakers: David McDonald and Greg Ruiters
Summary: Those who oppose privatisation are often confronted with the objection that they present no alternative. This book takes up that challenge by establishing conceptual models for what does (and does not) constitute an alternative to privatisation and what might make them ‘successful’. It examines key actors in the struggle for public services (states, NGOs, unions) and provides a review of effective public services in the health, water and electricity sectors in over 40 countries in the global South. This is the first global survey of its kind, providing a rigorous and robust platform for evaluating alternatives to privatisation and allowing for comparisons across regions and sectors. South Africa’s record is not particularly strong in this regard, raising questions about the nature of ‘public’ in public services in this country. The book will be available soon at www.hsrcpress.ac.za and in book stores.
RSVP: booklounge@gmail.com or 021 462 2425
In association with Amandla Magazine.
