Privatization and Labor: Responses and Consequences in Global Perspective

During the last decade, privatization, understood here as the transfer of state-owned enterprises to the private sector, has become a widespread phenomenon among formerly socialist and mixed economies. It has been touted as a quick route to growth and prosperity in countries suffering from bloated, inefficient, and debt ridden public sectors.

The contributors to this book, drawn from a number of social science disciplines, explore the various ways in which privatization programs affect work...