"Privatization"

Privatization

Fall quarter, 2001, 4 quarter hours credit
Tuesdays, 6-10 pm, Library 4004
Sarah Ryan, Faculty
sarahr@igc.org
Library 2108 867-6720

How do we make sense of proposals to transform public services into profit-making enterprises? How do we evaluate recent initiatives to allow for-profit charter schools and to privatize Social Security? Where is "the public interest" in these debates? Why do unions tend to oppose privatization and corporations tend to support it? This class will look critically at privatization in national, state, and global contexts. We’ll look at literature from advocates and opponents and look at the interest groups that support and oppose privatization. Students will do case study projects on current privatization proposals and will learn from each others’ research and experiences. Credit will be awarded in labor studies or political economy.

Books

Privatization and Public-Private Partnerships, by Emanuel S. Savas. Chatham House, 2000
Government Works: Why Americans Need the Feds, by Milton J. Esman, Cornell Univ. Press, 2000
Profit Over People: Neoliberalism and global order, by Noam Chomsky, Seven Stories Press, 1999
You Don't Always Get What You Pay for: The Economics of Privatization, by Elliott D. Sclar, Cornell Univ. Press, 2000
The Evolution of the Public Sector in Washington State, by Kenneth M. Dolbeare TESC Graduate Program in Public Administration, Revised Edition, 1994
From The Bottom Up: Washington’s Tradition of Democratic Economic Development, by Orin Kirshner. TESC, 1984

Schedule some changes and corrections will occur!

Date	Activities	Reading (completed)	What's due?
Week One: September 25	Introductions, program overview, Workshop: defining privatization	Wall Street Journal pull-out section, in class
Week Two: October 2	Workshop: Think tanks and privatization	Savas to page 63	Short paper on Savas: How does he define privatization? Outline his basic argument for it.
Week Three, October 9	Seminar on Chomsky Library workshop: government documents	Chomsky, entire	Short paper on Chomsky: What are his claims about globalization? How do you connect this with privatization? Topic for project
Week Four: October 16	Workshop: evaluating an argument Computer Center: sources on privatization	Savas to page 145	No paper due!
Week Five: October 23	Seminar on Savas Film: Privatization	Savas to end	Paper: what are the strengths and weaknesses of Savas’ ideas?
Week Six: October 30	Workshop: Wages, costs of living, comparison, measurement. Seminar on Sclar	Sclar	Paper on Sclar: write a "debate" between him and Savas
Week Seven: November 7	Guest speaker on privatization and globalization. Seminar on Dolbeare	Dolbeare	Paper on Dolbeare: what Washington traditions offer alternatives?
Week Eight: November 13	Seminar on Kirshner and Washington traditions Lecture; Cooperative traditions in Washington state and the 1930s depression.	Kirshner	Project draft due
November 20	Thanksgiving Holiday — No class	Esman (start)
Week Nine: November 27	Project presentations, seminar on Esman	Esman (finish)	Esman: identify his thesis and discuss its relationship to one current issue.
Week Ten: December 4	Project presentations		Projects due
Evaluation Week	Student/faculty evaluations by appointment		Draft self and faculty evaluations

Possible project topics may include:

Postal privatization
Seattle Port crane privatization
Charter, for profit, K-12 schools (case study of one town’s schools)
Higher education privatization
Private prisons, or private prison services
Welfare administration privatization
Second Tacoma Narrows Bridge partnership
School services, advertising in schools
Historical research project on origins of a public program or institution; e.g., origins of public subway system in New York City or Ravenna Park’s (Seattle) private origins.
Social security privatization proposals
Federalization of airport security

LINKS TO THINK TANKS
Link to Postal Privatization Organizing Site
Understanding Postal Privatization (PDF File -- large)
Privatization in New Jersey (PDF File)