Shrinking the State The Political Underpinnings of Privatization

A comparative analysis of the political roots of privatization in the UK, USA and France.

Privatization has spread worldwide during the 1980s and 1990s, and has significantly reshaped the balance between state and market in many countries. This book provides a comparative political analysis of the development, form, character and causes of privatization in three countries: the UK, USA and France. The authors argue that privatization is a political phenomenon and should be analyzed as such, rather than being seen as an economic response to the growth of the state and the cost of state provision. Privatization frequently has explicit political goals, and has consequences which redistribute costs and benefits to different groups. The book presents a threefold typology of privatization policy - pragmatic, tactical and systemic - and relates it to the experiences of USA, France and UK respectively. It will be of interest to students and scholars of politics, economics, public policy and business studies, as well as policy-makers and consultants in the field of privatization.

1. Privatization and theories of state growth; 2. The political underpinnings of privatization; 3. The UK: from pragmatic to systemic privatization; 4. France: from pragmatic to tactical privatization; 5. The United States: the co-optation of pragmatic initiatives by agents of systemic change; 6. The boundaries of privatization.

Privatization has spread worldwide during the 1980s and 1990s, reshaping the balance between state and market in many countries. This book provides a comparative analysis of privatization in the UK, USA and France, treating it as a political phenomenon, rather than a purely economic one.