The public value of history, culture and heritage interacts in complex ways with the private ownership of so many of the facilities which give substance to these matters. This article begins by reflecting on the processes involved in seeking to associate government, community and the market in...

This article reviews the establishment and use of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Ireland. It notes the many difficulties experienced in obtaining a precise view of the composition of the Irish public sector and comments on ambivalent (and therefore often destructive) attitudes to the control...

In recent years, the local government sector in European countries has undergone important changes involving, among other things, the externalisation of local public service provision through various forms of corporatisation, public-public collaboration, public-private partnerships and...

How can the idea of 'community', and the energies and ambitions invested in 'community', be harnessed in the service of the public interest through expression in appropriate forms of organisation? This key question, involving aspects of the state, government, civil society and market, underpins...

The reported turnaround of the Indian Railways (IR) has attracted wide notice. This article locates the enterprise within the broader Indian public sector and explores the factors that led to the turnaround from a low performing organisation to a high performing one. The case study method is...

This article recognises that the Mexican financial crisis of 1982 marked a turning point in the country's development. The crisis followed a period of steady economic growth. Since then, the entrepreneurial state has been under steady attack by members of a new business elite, who are direct...

Recent studies of the effectiveness of privatisation programmes in the water and sanitation sector have highlighted the diversity of experiences, especially with respect to the distributional consequences of reforms. This study of water and sanitation privatisation programmes in the city and...