Constructing a Substantial Alternative to Privatization: Promoting Democratic Control and Social Commitment

摘要

In the wake of the neoliberal wave, there is a continuing debate about alternatives to privatization. While there is widespread agreement among anti-privatization groups that privatization has been marked by dramatic failures and disappointments, alternatives to privatization are as diverse as traditional forms of state ownership, corporatization, and democratic control. Focusing on an emerging literature and drawing on the experience of low- and middle-income countries (Turkey, in particular), it appears unlikely that we can begin to offer a substantial alternative to privatization without promoting democratic control and deeper social commitment. There are two necessary, if insufficient, strategies for constructing and defending any substantial alternative based on democratic control and social commitment: 1) the building of broad political alliances; and 2) operationalizing the state as a contested space.