Privatization: Is Dismantling Public Authority an International Trend?

Despite recent government bailouts of private industry, stimulus packages, and state-led restructuring of companies, economic and academic trends toward privatization continue, with public opinion generally supportive or neutral toward privatization. It is important to realize that privatization does not necessarily imply the dismantling of public authority. Privatization and nationalization can and do coincide, and it is likely that we will see more of both in the near future.