(This is an archived extract from the book Patterns of Power: Edition 2)
When a government provides funding for public services, it has a duty of care: to ensure that the services are of adequate quality, and that they represent optimum value for money. When choosing the organisation to deliver these services, there is no single best solution that covers all circumstances. As argued below, there are pros and cons in using State employees (3.5.3.1) – notably lacking the choices which can be offered by civil society (3.5.3.2) or a range of private companies (3.5.3.3). There are problems in granting a monopoly to a private company (3.5.3.4) or in using private finance for public infrastructure projects (3.5.3.5). And the role of profit in public-service delivery is contentious (3.5.3.6).
© PatternsofPower.org, 2014