Democracy and Regulation

How the Public Can Govern Essential Services

Greg Palast author Jerrold Oppenheim author Theo MacGregor author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Pluto Press

Published:20th Dec '02

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Democracy and Regulation cover

Essential services are being privatised the world over. Whether it's water, gas, electricity or the phone network, everywhere from Sao Paulo in Brazil to Leeds in the UK is following the US economic model and handing public services over to private companies whose principal interest is raising prices. Yet it's one of the world's best kept secrets that Americans pay astonishingly little for high quality public services.

This book, based on work for the United Nations International Labour Organisation is the first step-by-step guide to the way that public services are regulated in the United States. It explains how decisions are made by public debate in a public forum. Profits and investments of private companies are capped, and companies are forced to reduce prices for the poor, fund environmental investments and open themselves to financial inspection.

In a world where privatisation has so often led to economic disaster, this book is essential reading.

The authors (an economist-reporter, a lawyer, and a regulator) have a wealth of experience in utility regulation, and it is evident on every page. The recent electricity crisis in California (and Enron's participation) receives considerable attention. Throughout the book the democratic process receives most of the credit or blame. The authors' detailed description of the US utility regulatory system will be especially useful to those new to the topic. 

-- R. A. Miller, Wesleyan University in CH

ISBN: 9780745319438

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 568g

240 pages