Privatisation of public services in the EU: an attack on social cohesion and democracy

Birgit Mahnkopf, null

doi:10.13169/workorgalaboglob.2.2.0072

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Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Volume 2, Issue 2

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Privatisation of public services in the EU: an attack on social cohesion and democracy

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Author(s): Birgit Mahnkopf

Publication date (Print): Autumn 2008

Journal: Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Publisher: Pluto Journals

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Abstract

In the past, universal access to essential public services served as an important mechanism for generating a good relationship between the market, social cohesion and democracy in many European countries. But, with the growing dominance of the mode of ‘negative integration’ across the continent, citizens are being reconstituted as consumers and small shareholders. Meanwhile, privatisation of public services steamrolls the results of the ‘decommodification of wage labour’ achieved in the short ‘social democratic century’. Drawing on the results of the EU-funded Co-ordination Action PRESOM (Privatisation and the European Social Model) this paper argues that in the long run these developments might affect the democratic functioning of the Union and the integration process as a whole. Further information about PRESOM can be found on http://www.presom.eu.

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Journal

Journal ID (doi): 10.13169

Journal ID (publisher-id): workorgalaboglob

Title: Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Publisher: Pluto Journals

ISSN (Print): 1745641X

ISSN (Electronic): 17456428

Publication date (Print): Autumn 2008

Volume: 2

Issue: 2

Pages: 72-84

Article

Publisher ID: workorgalaboglob.2.2.0072

DOI: 10.13169/workorgalaboglob.2.2.0072

SO-VID: 4823b2d1-8cb9-4205-a358-9d7c10c9ab19

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Sociology,Labor law,Political science,Labor & Demographic economics,Political economics

References

Altvater, E. & B. Mahnkopf (2007) Konkurrenz für das Empire. Die Zukunft der Europäischen Union in der Globalisierten Welt , Münster: Westfälisches Dampfboot
Altvater, E. (2003) ‘Was Passiert, Wenn Öffentliche Güter Privatisiert Werden? Peripherie, Zeitschrift für Politik und Ökonomie in der Dritten Welt' , Vol 23, No 90/91:171–201
Atkinson, A.B. & J. Stiglitz (1980) Lectures on Public Economics , New York: McGraw-Hill
Ball, S. J. (2007) Education Plc. Understanding Private Sector Participation in Public Sector Education , London, New York: Routledge
Corbey, S. & G. White (1999) Employee Relations in the Public Services: Themes and Issues , London: Routledge
Devetak, R. & R. Higgot (2001) ‘Saving the Social Bond and Recovering the Public Domain’ in D. Drache (ed) The Market or the Public Domain? Global Governance and the Asymmetry of Power , London & New York: Routledge:360–380
European Commission (2006) ‘Frequently Asked Questions: Why European Higher Education Systems Must be Changed?’, Press Releases , May 10, 2006, Brussels. Accessed on January 21, 2008 http://europa.ed/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do/reference=MEMO/06.
Gill, S. (1998) ‘European Governance & New Constitutionalism: EMU & Alternatives to Disciplinary Neo-Liberalisms in Europe’, New Political Economy , Vol 3, No 1:5–26
Harvey, D. (2003) The New Imperialism , Oxford: Oxford University Press
Hatcher, R. (2006) ‘Privatization and Sponsorship: The Re-Agenting of the School-System in England’, Journal of Education Policy , Vol 21, No 5:599–619
Hayek, F. A. (1944) The Road to Serfdom , London: Routledge
Hobsbawm, E. (1994) Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914–1991 , London: Michael Joseph
Hirschman, A.O. (1970) Exit, Voice and Loyalty , Cambridge: Harvard University Press
Musgrave, R.A. (1959) The Theory of Public Finance , Tokyo: McGraw-Hill
OECD (2007) Education at a Glance. OECD Indicators , Paris: OECD
Polanyi, K. (1978) The Great Transformation , Frankfurt: Suhrkamp
Rodrik, D. (2001) ‘Development Strategies for the 21^st Century’ in Pleskovic & N. Stern (eds) Annual World Bank Conference on Development Economics, 2000 , Washington, DC: World Bank:85–108
Schulten, T, T. Brandt & C. Hermann (2008) ‘Liberalisation and Privatisation of Public Services and Strategic Options for European Trade Unions’, Transfer , Vol 14, No 2:295–311
Sen, A. (1999) Development as Freedom , New York: Alfred A. Knopf

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Altvater, E. & B. Mahnkopf (2007) Konkurrenz für das Empire. Die Zukunft der Europäischen Union in der Globalisierten Welt , Münster: Westfälisches Dampfboot

[2] Altvater, E. (2003) ‘Was Passiert, Wenn Öffentliche Güter Privatisiert Werden? Peripherie, Zeitschrift für Politik und Ökonomie in der Dritten Welt' , Vol 23, No 90/91:171–201

[3] Atkinson, A.B. & J. Stiglitz (1980) Lectures on Public Economics , New York: McGraw-Hill

[4] Ball, S. J. (2007) Education Plc. Understanding Private Sector Participation in Public Sector Education , London, New York: Routledge

[5] Corbey, S. & G. White (1999) Employee Relations in the Public Services: Themes and Issues , London: Routledge

[6] Devetak, R. & R. Higgot (2001) ‘Saving the Social Bond and Recovering the Public Domain’ in D. Drache (ed) The Market or the Public Domain? Global Governance and the Asymmetry of Power , London & New York: Routledge:360–380

[7] European Commission (2006) ‘Frequently Asked Questions: Why European Higher Education Systems Must be Changed?’, Press Releases , May 10, 2006, Brussels. Accessed on January 21, 2008 http://europa.ed/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do/reference=MEMO/06.

[8] Gill, S. (1998) ‘European Governance & New Constitutionalism: EMU & Alternatives to Disciplinary Neo-Liberalisms in Europe’, New Political Economy , Vol 3, No 1:5–26

[9] Harvey, D. (2003) The New Imperialism , Oxford: Oxford University Press

[10] Hatcher, R. (2006) ‘Privatization and Sponsorship: The Re-Agenting of the School-System in England’, Journal of Education Policy , Vol 21, No 5:599–619

[11] Hayek, F. A. (1944) The Road to Serfdom , London: Routledge

[12] Hobsbawm, E. (1994) Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914–1991 , London: Michael Joseph

[13] Hirschman, A.O. (1970) Exit, Voice and Loyalty , Cambridge: Harvard University Press

[14] Musgrave, R.A. (1959) The Theory of Public Finance , Tokyo: McGraw-Hill

[15] OECD (2007) Education at a Glance. OECD Indicators , Paris: OECD

[16] Polanyi, K. (1978) The Great Transformation , Frankfurt: Suhrkamp

[17] Rodrik, D. (2001) ‘Development Strategies for the 21^st Century’ in Pleskovic & N. Stern (eds) Annual World Bank Conference on Development Economics, 2000 , Washington, DC: World Bank:85–108

[18] Schulten, T, T. Brandt & C. Hermann (2008) ‘Liberalisation and Privatisation of Public Services and Strategic Options for European Trade Unions’, Transfer , Vol 14, No 2:295–311

[19] Sen, A. (1999) Development as Freedom , New York: Alfred A. Knopf