A Public Role For The Private Sector

Increasing economic competition combined with the powerful threat of transnational activism are pushing firms to develop new political strategies. Over the past decade a growing number of corporations have adopted policies of industry self-regulation—corporate codes of conduct, social and environmental standards, and auditing and monitoring systems. A Public Role for the Private Sector explores the phenomenon of industry self-regulation through three different cases—environment, labor, and information privacy—where corporate leaders appear to be converging on industry self-regulation as the appropriate response to competing pressures. Political and economic risks, reputational effects, and learning within the business community all influence the adoption of a self-regulatory strategy, but there are wide variations in the strength and character of it across industries and issue areas. Industry self-regulation raises significant questions about the place of the private sector in regulation and governance, and the accountability, legitimacy and power of industry at a time of rapid globalization.

This Note presents a preliminary conceptual framework for reconsidering the existing division of responsibilities between public and private sectors, and among different levels of government. With this framework as a guide, the Note reviews previous evaluations of alternative assignments of responsibility for three diverse program areas--electric power, public welfare, and industrial policy. In general, the empirical literature provides limited coverage of the framework's evaluation foci, and thus only partially informs assignment decisions. However, among his tentative conclusions, the author found that cost-conscious communities would, on the average, fare better with public providers of electricity, or a regulated private arrangement as the next best choice; and whichever level of government sets spending standards and guidelines for a particular public assistance program should also bear responsibility for financing it.

Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) promise much and present an exciting policy option. Yet as this Handbook reveals there is still much debate about the meaning of partnership, and the degree to which potential advantages are in fact being delivered. In this timely Handbook, leading scholars from around the world explore the challenges presented by infrastructure PPPs, and contemplate what lies ahead as governments balance the need to provide innovative new infrastructure against the requirement for good public governance. This Handbook builds on a range of exciting theoretical lenses that span several disciplinary boundaries. It presents innovative insights and informed perspectives from an international base of empirical evidence. This essential Handbook will prove an invaluable reference work for academics, advanced post-graduate students and commentators of PPPs, as well as professionals, infrastructure regulators and government policy advisors.

Problem Solving with the Private Sector presents advice and solutions for fruitful government–business alliances from the perspective of everyday public management. With a focus on job training, economic development, regulation, and finance and innovation, each chapter discusses a traditional tool of government presented in a practical and applied manner, as well as the implementation of the tool with clear examples. Content-rich case studies on a wide range of policy issues, including regulatory policy, natural resources, manufacturing, financial services, and health care highlight opportunities for government and business to collaborate to pursue the public good. This book offers current and future public managers possible solutions to complex problems for effective government–business alliances in a range of settings. It is essential reading for all those studying public management, public administration, and public policy.

Examines how the private sector in China manages to grow without secure property rights.

The 31 articles in this book discuss the pros and cons of privatization of public services. Examined are the need for alternative service delivery; the process of privatization; concrete examples of privatizing services generic to local governments; precautions; and the future of privatization.