The initial phase of MSP research began with a ‘mapping exercise’ of alternatives to privatization in an effort to establish conceptual and methodological foundations for future, more detailed studies. This preliminary research identified a wide range of alternatives in each of the sectors and regions we cover, constituted a typology, and defined a set of criteria to evaluate the ‘success’ of these initiatives.
The results of this mapping exercise have been written up in a book – Alternatives to privatization: Public options for essential services in the Global South – published in February 2012. The book establishes theoretical models for what does (and does not) constitute alternatives to privatization, and what might make them ‘successful’, backed up by a comprehensive set of empirical data on public services initiatives in over 50 countries. This is the first global survey of its kind, providing a rigorous and robust platform for evaluating different alternatives in electricity, primary health, and water and sanitation in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and allowing for comparisons across regions and sectors.