In most member states of the European Union (EU), universal postal services provided by the incumbent operator are exempt from value added taxes (VAT) on the grounds that they are the “public postal service.” Other postal service providers have to charge VAT at the standard rate. The paper...

Introduction: Liberalisation, privatisation and the labour market / Maarten Keune, Janine Leschke and Andrew Watt -- Privatisation and liberalisation of public services in Germany / Torsten Brandt and Thorsten Schulten -- Marketisation in Swedish electricity and postal services / Christer...

The COVID pandemic has demonstrated the weakness of neoliberalism by showing the importance of public services, workers’ need for security, and a heightened awareness of collective interdependence. Economic theory recognises the deficiencies of depending on market forces by accepting certain...