ABSTRACT
The chapter starts by exploring the contested term ‘privatisation’ and proposes the adoption of a multi-modal framework that encapsulates the wide range of sector-specific variants. The chapter continues by identifying the ideological roots of privatisation and explores the role of transatlantic think tanks in disseminating ideas. In tracing the trajectory of privatisation, the authors argue that whilst the model of privatisation of the industrial sector differs from that of the Welfare State, the technical, legislative, administrative, political and ideological precedents established by early forays into privatisation provided the platform for the later more innovative and creative incursions of the private sector into public service provision.
The chapter continues by exploring the enabling environment—the interconnecting social, economic and political factors—that served as the launch pad for the seismic shift in public policy thinking and action: a shift that transformed the State from one founded on social democratic principles into a hollowed out one shaped by neoliberalism. With the foundations established, the bulk of the chapter is given over to a discussion of the different stages of privatisation.
