In the Public Interest, 5/22/2013
This backgrounder brief provides examples of cases where, when cost savings aren't realized or service quality declines, many governmental entities are turning to reverse privatization, or "insourcing," to bring contracted functions back in-house. It explains the benefits of insourcing for the general public interest and addresses examples from multiple levels of government across a wide array of sectors including corrections, water, IT services, and more. It includes an appendix with more examples.
Washington State University, 1/28/2013
This study of prison privatization finds that private prisons impede employment growth in local communities and highlights the significant reduction in prison staffing where privatization is quickly growing and high employee turnover rate. It looks at a large data set on a national scale.
U.S. PIRG Education Fund, 1/23/2013
This report examines the quality of transparency of city spending in America's 30 largest cities. It notes the availability of spending information and ease of access to this information, including online databases with "checkbook-level" detail, and grades the cities' transparency practices.
Keystone Research Center, 12/13/2012
This report analyzes the lottery privatization push by Governor Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania. It assesses shortcomings of the plan and notes that a present the state with a large amount of risk and little cost savings or income growth. It recommends that we should, at the very least, slow down and examine the plan more thoroughly before rushing into what could be a bad deal.
Ohio PIRG Education Fund, 11/15/2012
The State of Ohio recently spent $2.85 million to commission KPMG to analyze different possibilities for borrowing against future toll revenue to the Ohio Turnpike, including privatization. This report considers the necessary questions to be asked to ensure that fair comparisons are made, hidden costs are considered, and the public interest is taken into account in any decisions about the future of the turnpike.
The Southern Center for Human Rights, 11/13/2012
Georgia has the highest rate of adults under correctional control of any state in the country, and its corrections budget reflects this fact. This report evaluates current practices of Georgia's Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform, including the contracting out of government responsibilities of running correctional facilities to private companies. It details the risks posed by contracting out and proposes common-sense reforms to cabin the perverse incentives of private companies: increasing transparency, enforcing accountability, and evaluating costs and performance, while also ensuring respect for the constitutional rights of those facing criminal charges or serving prison terms.
Fiscal Analytics, Ltd., 11/1/2012
Virginia's original intent in the passing of the Public-Private Transporation Act of 1995 (PPTA) was to supplement the traditional transportation improvements process. This report, prepared for the Southern Environmental Law Center's Land and Community Program, acknowledges that the PPTA has been employed this original intent and become the major method for constructing large new transportation projects. It questions whether the PPTA process is good at producing public benefits with as low a price as possible, that is fair to the traveling public, that adequately considers external factors such as the environmental impacts, and that is consistent with Virginia's long-term transportation goals. In its examination, the report points to the need for adequate safeguards, including a more transparent process to the public, independent reviews of project development and procurement decisions, and better rules for managing risk and deciding public subsidy levels.
In the Public Interest, 10/30/2012
This report includes a list of public protections that should be included in contracts when a state considers prison privatization. It examines crucial issues where a private company may have different goals and priorities than the public including costs, safety and monitoring, other services, non-compliance, contract cancellation, and transparency.
WISPIRG Foundation, 10/17/2012
This report examines the ability of the public to access subsidy recipient information in taxpayer-financed economic development programs. It finds that online transparency has gotten worse despite promises from state leaders to enhance transparency and accountability in these programs and that reporting these outcomes is required by law under 2007 Act 125.
Rutgers University, 10/4/2012
This paper summarizes recent research that shows how the public sector provides quality middle-class jobs, and describes how government privatization eliminates these good jobs without much savings to the taxpayer, and increases inequality, which is costly - today and in the future.
