State Regulation and the Politics of Public Service

This text addresses the question of public service in the context of privatization, with specific reference to the water industry. The notion of public service is examined both theoretically and historically, thereby placing the development of the public utilities in a broader frame than usual. The way in which public services are part of a complicated state relation that has developed throughout the 20th century is systematically investigated, opening up a series of questions of direct relevance for current debates about public ownership and nationalization.