ProGov21 Policy Library

While privatization occurs under different names, such as outsourcing, contracting out, and public-private partnership, it always removes a public good from public control and places it under the control of a private entity. The specifics of these deals vary, but the consequences...

While public-private partnerships, or P3’s, have primarily been used in the U.S. for transportation and water projects, the model has recently been used to address infrastructure needs to repair, replace, or build public buildings where government operations take place. Problems with...

Too often, public officials propose the privatization of public facilities, public goods, or contracting out vital public services, without getting the basic information that decision-makers and voters need to know to evaluate these transactions. By asking a handful of simple questions...

In January 2019, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) held a six-day strike in response to challenges facing The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), resulting from LAUSD’s inability to raise local property taxes and the growing charter school sector that draws funding away...

Cities and states nationwide are finding out that the promises of privatization often fail to materialize, and have been increasingly looking at “insourcing,”—that is, bringing a service or asset back under public, democratic control. The common problems of privatization that lead...

Private school vouchers divert tax dollars away from public schools to subsidize the tuition of private and religious schools, simultaneously removing money from public schools and increasing costs for taxpayers. This fact sheet details how the ever-increasing cost of these programs...

In the face of a public health emergency, an economic recession, and widening of social inequities, Connecticut has continues to reduce its public investment in services such as education, healthcare, housing, and transportation. Downsizing the public sector and failing to adequately...

Cities face a host of challenges in maintaining their water systems and supplying their communities with clean drinking water, and protecting environmental and human health through effective wastewater and stormwater management. This report is is a comprehensive guide outlining best...

This report outlines the ways in which the privatization of public goods and services has harmed working-class communities and communities of color. Analysis from In The Public Interest identifies five ways mechanisms of privatization that disproportionately hurt poor individuals...

Water privatization has often proven to be harmful to communities, workers, and the environment, and should not be relied on to help municipalities. While many water systems need improvements, corporate control does not provide a solution to provide long-term sustainability, regulatory...

Public-private partnerships (P3s) to build infrastructure, are increasingly structured around “availability payments,” which advocates argue are a better alternative than more traditional revenue-risk contracts. However, availability payments are long-term financial commitments that...

Kansas and Iowa have recently privatized the Medicaid services provided to veterans. The experience of both states highlights the dangers of privatization: veterans programs have suffered cuts in care and diminished oversight and transparency while reducing costs far less than expected....