Political Science Economic Policy
About Canada: Public-Private Partnerships
- Publisher
- Fernwood Publishing
- Initial publish date
- Aug 2016
- Category
- Economic Policy
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781552668962
- Publish Date
- Aug 2016
- List Price
- $18.00
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781552669099
- Publish Date
- Sep 2016
- List Price
- $19.99
Add it to your shelf
Where to buy it
Description
In a public-private partnership, or P3, a private, for-profit corporation assumes control over the design, construction, financing and operation of public infrastructure and services. P3s have been used in Canada since the early 1990s, but they are now so common that they have become the standard way in which multimillion-dollar projects and services are delivered across the country. There are now more than two hundred P3 projects in this country, with contract lengths from twenty to ninety-nine years.
The problem? P3s fundamentally transform public infrastructure, public services, labour relations, public sectors and the everyday lives of Canadians. While contracting out services is supposed to save money, P3s often cost more in the long run and are host to poor working conditions and confidentiality and accountability issues. And in the end, it is us, the public, who foots the bill for these increasing costs, essentially subsidizing corporate investments for services that our governments used to provide.
About the author
Heather Whiteside is an associate professor of political science at the University of Waterloo and a fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. She is a political economist with expertise in Canadian political economy, economic geography, theories of the state and capitalism, and public policy, demonstrated through a wide range of publications on issues such as public ownership, privatization, property relations, fiscal studies, and state capitalism.
Other titles by
The Canadian State
Canadian Political Economy
Purchase for Profit
Public-Private Partnerships and Canada's Public Health Care System
Purchase for Profit
Public-Private Partnerships and Canada's Public Health Care System
Private Affluence, Public Austerity
Economic Crisis and Democratic Malaise in Canada