Public and Private sectors: who's learning from whom?

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Throughout the 1980s and 1990s conventional wisdom increasingly had it that the ‘commanding heights’ should be controlled by the private sector. Privatisation flourished almost everywhere – and where it didn’t, ‘market driven’ solutions have been widely employed to deliver public services.

But what have we learnt from privatisation? Has it been a success – or were expectations overblown?
Is the public sector really lagging in most respects?
Is it more important for infrastructure (energy, transportation, telecoms) to be reliable or profitable?
What is the contribution to European economic development of so-called Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)?
Have the boundaries between state and business become clearer, or more blurred?

These are just some of the questions addressed by a distinguished panel of business people, academics, advisers and policymakers in EBF’s summer debate.