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Contracting Out Government Services » (1st Edition)

Book cover image of Contracting Out Government Services by Paul Seidenstat

Authors: Paul Seidenstat (Editor), Daniel Lieberfeld
ISBN-13: 9780275965426, ISBN-10: 0275965422
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated
Date Published: June 1999
Edition: 1st Edition

Author Biography: Paul Seidenstat

PAUL SEIDENSTAT is Associate Professor of Economics at Temple University.

Book Synopsis

Analyzes contracting out, the most widely used method of privatization, through the prism of economics.

Booknews

Focusing primarily on the state and local levels, 17 essays by economists, political scientists, and business planners explore one aspect of government privatization in the United States. The theory, application, and problems of contracting services are explored. A significant portion of the essays look at contracting out criminal justice services. The essays, as a whole, find that a primary motivation for contracting is cost reduction and that while often that goal is achieved, accountability and service quality remain problem areas. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

	Figures and Tables
I	Overview	1
1	Theory and Practice of Contracting Out in the United States	3
2	Municipal Contracting in the 1980s: Tinkering or Reinventing Government	26
3	Public and Private: Learning, Linking, and Legitimating	39
4	Developing a Privatization Strategy Using Competitive Bidding, Cooperative Partnerships, and Networks	53
5	Contracting to Affiliated Companies under Concessions: The Economic Approach	85
II	The Practice of Contracting out	91
6	Role of Public/Private Juvenile Programs	93
7	Electronic Monitoring in Los Angeles County: A Case of Public-Private Partnership in Community Corrections	108
8	Policy Considerations in the Privatization of Local Detention Facilities	122
9	Privatization Lessons' from Hospital and Prison Experiences	134
10	Privatization as a Viable Alternative for Local Governments: The Case Study of a Failed Michigan Town	151
11	The Cost and Production of Solid Waste Disposal Service	166
12	Playing Golf on Plush Private-Sector Greens	178
III	Obstacles and Side Effects of Contracting Out	185
13	Implementing Privatization in the Public Sector	187
14	Legal Barriers to Local Privatization	194
15	How Contracting Out City Services Impacts Public Employees	211
16	Competition Between Public Agencies and Private Vendors: Vehicle Maintenance Services in Greeley	219
17	The Mechanics of Contracting Out	233
	Index	249
	About the Editor and Contributors	253