The Evil of Privatization

Abstract

This is my contribution to a workshop (held at the University of Warwick on 16 May 2014) about Alon Harel’s book Why Law Matters (Oxford 2014). It focuses on chapter 3 of the book, 'The Case Against Privatization'. I share Alon's sentiments on this subject but resist his main arguments in the book. Since I co-edit the series in which the book appeared, I do not plan to publish anything arising from this workshop. But for whatever it is worth I see no problem with posting my talk here more or less as I presented it at Warwick (adding, at pp 9-10, a rejoinder to Alon’s oral response).

Keywords: privatization, outsourcing, plutocracy, democracy, legitimacy, rule of law, public interest