The government uses a process called public procurement. A professor of public policy explains how the process works and how it is increasingly used to achieve social goals.
Canadian governments aren’t completely selling off major public works, but their embrace of public-private “partnerships” is giving private financiers control of major infrastructure projects.
The link between labor’s decline and stagnating worker pay has convinced some politicians that we need to rebuild unions. What we need are new labor policies for tomorrow’s workforce.
The Private Finance Initiative was meant to be the solution to 21st century public buildings. Edinburgh’s school problems are far from unique, however.