Meanings of public and the future of public services / David A. McDonald.

Biography

David A. McDonald is Professor of Global Development Studies at Queen’s University, Canada, and Director of the Municipal Services Project.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Table of Contents

Chapter One: What’s Public about Public Services?

PART ONE: LIMITS

Chapter Two: Our Bourgeois Public Sphere

Chapter Three: The Curse of the Continuum

PART TWO: POSSIBILITIES

Chapter Four: Redefining Public Services

Chapter Five: Within, Against and Beyond the State

Chapter Six: Measuring Success

Chapter Seven: Building a Global Pro-Public Movement

Appendix: Global Manifesto for Public Services

"Critically assessing meanings of the term 'public', this book situates the emergence and expansion of 'public services' within market-based forms of production and consumption. It highlights the potential for making public services more progressive within market societies, but underscores their ongoing capture by private interests and emphasises the inherent limits of reform within a 'bourgeois public sphere'. The author explores opportunities for more expansive forms of non-marketized public services, examining emerging debates on the theory and practice of equitable, participatory and sustainable forms of publicness that go beyond mere ownership. The book then asks how we can build a robust international 'pro-public' movement that juggles universal needs with local context. With a focus on essential public services such as water, electricity and health, the text is global in its scope and written for a broad audience. It will be useful for those interested in social and public policy, public services and public administration, political theory, economic geography, social movements, sustainability and development"-- Provided by publisher.

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