Public Services International Research Unit

Our Colleagues at the PSIRU have a new website at ..... 

https://www.gre.ac.uk/business/research/centres/public-services/home 

Which features not just new but it's old reports dating back over twenty years to 1996....

The reports including the works for PSI cover the range of PSI areas including Electricity, Water and Local Government.

All reports can be located at https://www.gre.ac.uk/business/research/centres/public-services/publications

The report's are important documents to provide many arguments supporting anti privatisation, the failures of PPPs , how Communities have missed out through Governments using the failed privatisation model along with PPPs and contracting out of Utility and Local Government Services

It is an important web site, which reflects the solid support by PSI for Affiliates Sectors and PSI as the Global Union Federation for Public Services including Electricity, Water and Local Government

Reports can be down loaded , shared and used to show NGOs, Non Public Sector Unions, Government Officials and the Broad Community that the messages delivered by PSI are well supported ...

Papers and reports include those prepared by -

Dr. Jane Lethbridge Director, Public Services International Research Unit
Privatisation and outsourcing of public services, including health and social care; social dialogue; digitalisation and future work; democratic professionalism in public services

Prof. David Hall Visiting Professor, PSIRU Associate. Impact of liberalisation and privatisation on public services, especially water and energy; public-private partnerships; trade agreements and public services; corruption

Prof. Steve Thomas Professor, Energy Policy, PSIRU associate Economics and policy on nuclear power; liberalisation of energy markets; corporate policies of European energy companies.

Greg McLean

New report on PPPs warns UNCTAD against proposed policy shift

http://www.world-psi.org/en/new-report-ppps-warns-unctad-against-proposed-policy-shift 

A study released today on Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) raises significant concerns over the controversial funding mechanism and serves as a clear warning to leaders meeting at UNCTAD14 this week. The research paper, titled PPPs and the SDGs; don’t believe the hype, found that PPPs often contribute to decreased transparency and accountability, increased incentives for corruption and do not attract significant new capital.

The study, written by Jeff Powell of the Public Services International Research Unit at Greenwich University, draws on extensive research and outlines a range of issues with PPPs which are often ignored including the lack of real efficiency gains, higher long term costs and the rife opportunities for corruption.

PPPs and privatization have a chequered history and often lead to declining environmental standards and workers’ rights as well as sharp price increases for the public. A tide of research and a growing trend of re-municipalisation highlights a wider shift in public opinion against PPPs and other privatization models.

The paper also casts doubt on the UN’s recent shift towards privatization as a means for financing development, and highlights the lack of conclusive evidence and many well-documented failings.

Although UNCTAD has remained a more critical voice on privatization and PPPs, and despite the IMFs warnings that PPPs should not be used as a means of removing debt from government books, developed countries and business lobby groups are now attempting to change UNCTAD’s mandate to make it friendlier to the privatization agenda.

The introduction of user-pay models under PPPs runs counter to basic human rights such as the universal right to water, by only providing services to those who can afford to pay.

According to many public service leaders from the developing world, this means that PPPs are promoted in the interests of corporations over the interests of development.

“The evidence on PPPs has long been buried by those who profit from this failed financial model – we need UNCTAD to provide the facts,” said Baba Aye, Deputy Secretary General of the Medical and Health Union of Nigeria.

Everline A. Aketch of the Union of Education Institutions in Uganda highlighted how “quality public services provided for all by the state and funded through fair taxation on corporate profits are essential to addressing inequality and inclusive development.”

Opponents of PPPs highlight that many alternative means of financing development exist, which maintain public ownership and management of services. Many groups, including PSI, are calling for meaningful reform of the international tax system to avoid the hundreds of billions of lost revenue each year. A growing trend in Public-Public Partnerships enables government services in different states to exchange support, development, knowledge and investment.

“If these corporations who profit from and promote PPPs would stop hiding their money in offshore-havens and start paying their fair share of tax, we would have more than enough resources to fund our essential public services,” said PSI Secretary General, Rosa Pavanelli.

Public Services International is organizing an event to discuss alternatives to the privatization agenda and to launch the PSIRU research paper on the side-lines of UNCTAD14.

Event Details : Tuesday 19 July, 15:00, Civil Society Forum, UNCTAD14

For more details see: http://www.world-psi.org/en/unctad-14

More back ground on UNCATD https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Conference_on_Trade_and_Development 
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body. UNCTAD is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues. The organization's goals are to: "maximize the trade, investment and development opportunities of developing countries and assist them in their efforts to integrate into the world economy on an equitable basis " 

Open letter from EPSU , linking water with the British Elections

Dear supporters of the Right to Water,
Last week, as the British people headed to the polls to vote in a snap election, reclaiming water management became a major issue in the British elections. 
Mainstream economists writing for the Financial Times (FT), Chris Piles and Gill Plimmer (“Nationalisation returns to centre of political debate”, Financial Times, 17 May), show the same old categorical errors in comparing the merits of public and private water utilities. 
The Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU) has published a briefing to counter those arguments. From 2007 to 2016, the nine regional water and sewerage companies in England have paid over £18 billion in shareholder dividends, producing an upward pressure on pricing and causing an alarming increase in water poverty. No wonder the British public are worried about the issue.
As part of the debate, the Guardian published two letters. One from Dr Emanuele Lobina at PSIRU setting out the arguments for public ownership, the other from the CEO of a private water provider, unsurprisingly defending privatisation. Also the independent published a piece by a political figure
We encourage you to share and spread these pieces in the light of the elections. Right2Water website
We also would like to thank you for the incredible support that we received to put pressure on the Spanish government to withdraw the additional disposition number 27 that would have been a huge burden on the remunicipalisation process. We received feedback from unions and activists from across the planet, from the US to Australia! We are very proud that the effort worked and the government withdrew the proposal as reported by the economic Spanish press
Again thanks for your support for public water and the human right to water!

Pablo SÁNCHEZ CENTELLAS
Communications & Campaigns Officer. Liaison with the EP & Youth

---

40 Rue Joseph II, Box 5 1000 Brusselshttp://www.epsu.org

EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF PUBLIC SERVICE UNIONS

Overview of global megatrends affecting local and regional governments - By PSIRU

http://gmpsiaprec.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/overview-of-global-megatrends-affecting.html

The paper was commissioned by Public Services International (PSI) to inform a meeting of the PSI Local and Regional Government Committee held on Monday 19th September 2016 in Brussels.

 The purpose of the paper is to provide an overview of issues which affect local and regional governments (LRGs). covering 
 Global trends in urban development; 
 Current mainstream policy responses; 
 Implications for LRG workers and their unions; 
 Public alternatives.

Rread the full report at -  http://www.world-psi.org/sites/default/files/documents/research/lethbridge_psiru_lrg_megatrends_report_final_en.pdf#page=8&zoom=auto,69,602

If you are working in Local Government or interested in the industry or just a Community , Union activist this report is great quick up date and snap shot 

Public ownership of the UK energy system – benefits, costs and processes

http://www.psiru.org/reports/public-ownership-uk-energy-system-%E2%80%93-benefits-costs-and-processes

"The possibility of a return to public ownership of the UK energy system has increased since Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader of the Labour party. This paper sets out the advantages of public ownership; the extent of public ownership in other countries; how the process of returning to the public sector could work in the UK – taking full account of EU law; and calculates realistic estimates of the cost, the possible impact on debt, and the scale of the benefits."   Paper Author: David Hall 

" The report is the best we have seen in updating where the UK and Europe is, on electricity in public sector and private sector hands, and shows clearly the benefits of public sector ownership. The European comparisons and references to the USA, including public and private ownership, are solid arguments.The report is an excellent piece of work for Unions , not just in Europe, but lessons for the Asia Pacific Region, and well as elsewhere, on the reasons not to privatize  " - Greg McLean 

The Full report can be down loaded at http://www.psiru.org/sites/default/files/2016-04-E-UK-public.pdf

Migration and Local Authorities - Europe - local authorities are playing an important by PSIRU

http://www.psiru.org/reports/migration-and-local-authorities-impact-jobs-and-working-conditions"Just as there has been tension between EU migration policies and national level policies, there is growing evidence that local authorities are taking a more proactive position to define local policies for third country nationals. In some countries, these complement stronger positive national policies, in other countries, where there is an absence of national migration policies, local authorities are playing an important role in supporting the integration of third country nationals within society and the local economy. They do this through social cohesion activities, language education and wider education and life-long learning services. The position of third country nationals in the labour force is often weak, especially women and those with low levels of education. There is a need for more focused strategies to make the recognition of existing qualifications easier and quicker. Austerity policies have had an impact on third country nationals because they have resulted in cuts to services, e.g. social cohesion, which were specially targeted at third country nationals. Public sector workers responsible for services for third country nationals have experienced cuts in budgets, more difficult working conditions and a lack of training, which has made it more difficult to deliver adequate public services."

Read the full paper at http://www.psiru.org/sites/default/files/2016-03-M-MigrationLocalauthorities.pdf

 Authors:  Jane Lethbridge

G20 Brisbane and West African Nurses Warn Ebola is a Failure of Public Health: Australian visit

New Research Suggests Public Health Care is More Efficient: G20 Urged to Act

Abdul  Rafiu Alani Adeniji, President of the National Association of Nigerian Nurse and Midwives (NANNM), and a former Nurse, will be in Australia in advance of the G20 talking about the Ebola crisis in West Africa and warning about the failures of inadequate health systems.

He will be visiting Brisbane for the G20 with Daniel Bertossa, Director of Policy at the Geneva based Public Services International (PSI), who will be urging the G20 to implement promised measures to make large multinational corporations pay fair tax and releasing international research from the Greenwich University Faculty of Business showing that universal public health is more efficient and effective. The research will be launched at the forum “When profits come first – The true impacts of health privatisation” at the Queensland Nurses Union offcies.

Ebola has taken a terrible toll on health workers of West Africa. By the middle of October 244 health care workers had died from the disease in countries where health care workers are already in tragic short supply. The shocking reality is that the Ebola crisis is a crisis of public health.

PSI affiliates began reporting cases of health workers dying while treating patients with EVD as early as April 2014 and tried to raise these issues (among others) at the West African Health Ministers’ Summit in Monrovia that same month.

Abdul Adeniji and Daniel Bertossa will be available for interviews and comment in:

Adelaide on Tuesday 11 November

Melbourne on Wednesday 12 November

Brisbane at 9am on Thursday 13 November at the Queensland Nurses Union, 106 Victoria Street, West End, Brisbane.       

The NANNM is the union that represents Nurses and Midwives in Nigeria healthcare delivery for Nigerians safeguards best healthcare delivery for Nigerians

PSI is the global union federation representing 20 million public sector workers in over 160 countries.

Advice from PSI 

Privatisation of development finance for public services delivery by the UK Government and the impact on the rights of poor women in developing countries by Jane Lethbridge

http://www.psiru.org/reports/privatisation-development-finance-public-services-delivery-uk-government-and-impact-rights-p This report shows how public-private partnerships (PPPs) and other forms of large-scale development finance schemes promoted by DFID, which involve the transfer of public service provision to the private sector, are impacting negatively on poor women in terms of their unpaid work, influence in decision making and access to decent work.  The report is available here or http://www.psiru.org/reports/privatisation-development-finance-public-services-delivery-uk-government-and-impact-rights-p

Advice from PSIRU www.psiru.org

Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) by David Hall - PSIRU

http://www.psiru.org/reports/ppps PPPs are now being promoted worldwide by global institutions and consultants but the experience over the last 15 years shows that PPPs are an expensive and inefficient way of financing infrastructure and divert government spending away from other public services. This report looks at the scale of PPPs, and the institutions promoting them; the lessons of experience with PPPs; and a process for systematic evaluation of PPPs against public sector options. It also sets out some ways of challenging PPP policies and programmes, and offers advice to pension funds considering investing in PPPs.  The report is available here  or  http://www.psiru.org/reports/ppps

Advice from PSIRU www.psiru.org

My comment a must read for all that want the truth and oppose PPP's  - Greg

Corporatization in the European water sector: lessons for the global South by Emanuele Lobina and David Hall

http://www.municipalservicesproject.org/publication/rethinking-corporatization-and-public-services-global-south  This is a chapter in the Municipal Services Project book Rethinking Corporatization and Public Services in the Global South (more details from here.). The chapter finds evidence of corporatization leading to more or less progressive outcomes. It concludes that moderate or weak forms of corporatization can lead to progressive outcomes when strong democratic control is exerted by local governments, and advanced forms of public participation and transparency are introduced. 

advice from PSIRU  www.psiru.org

Dove va il mondo dei servizi pubblici by Emanuele Lobina and David Hall

This is an article in the Italian magazine Italianieuropei, which discusses the growing trend of  remuncipalisation in Europe, in other high-income countries and in developing countries. As well as the water sector it also looks at re-municipalisation in other public service sectors like energy, waste management and public transport. Across sectors, the main factors leading to re-municipalization include the public sector’s greater efficiency and reduced costs, as well as enhanced service quality and sustainability. These reasons suggest that the re-municipalization trend is here to stay.   More details from here.

Why we need public spending (updated)

http://www.world-psi.org/en/why-we-need-public-spending-updated " In May 2014, a revised version of the PSIRU study "Why we need public spending" was released as a joint publication of PSI and EPSU. This report is authored and updated by David Hall of the Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU). This study provides valuable facts, figures and arguments to defend public spending and public services and public service workers."

The Five Best-Kept Secrets of Economics

http://www.world-psi.org/en/five-best-kept-secrets-economics An interview with David Hall (PSIRU) author of a major evidence-based report updated and launched on 20 May 2014 at the 9th EPSU Congress.

The report was initially published in 2010. EPSU and PSI have come together to produce this revised and updated 2014 version which we believe will provide our affiliates across the world with valuable facts, figures and arguments to defend public spending and public services and public service workers.    

To give us some background to this document http://www.world-psi.org/en/why-we-need-public-spending-updated (which is a must-read), he explained to us what he calls the ‘five best-kept secrets of economy reality.’

Shared Services - setting unrealistic expectations " there are no savings and the quality of services falls "

http://www.psiru.org/reports/shared-services-setting-unrealistic-expectations  Shared Services' is a concept used by the private sector which has been adopted by the UK government.  For the last decade, shared services systems have been introduced to central  government departments, as a way of saving money.  Evaluations, by the National Audit Office, show that the most striking feature of many schemes is that there are no savings and the quality of services falls.  As there are still government plans to extent the outsourcing of shared services, there is a failure to learn from the experiences of the last 10 years.

Advice from PSIRU www.psiru.org

‘Revitalising Local Government’ is the Final Report of the New South Wales (State of NSW Australia) - PSIRU

http://www.psiru.org/reports/briefing-nsw-%E2%80%98revitalising-local-government%E2%80%99 - Independent Local Government Review Panel, published in October 2013.  This review of the Final Report is written from the perspective of the experience of the UK, particularly England.  It was commissioned by the United Services Union (USU), New South Wales, Australia.  It covers the role and importance of local government, localism, place-based leadership and mergers of local authorities. 
The full activities on the Unions actions can be located at - 
http://www.usu.org.au/usucampaigns/local-government/future-direction-of-local-govt

Who owns Britain’s energy networks and does it matter?

http://www.psiru.org/reports/who-owns-britain%E2%80%99s-energy-networks-and-does-it-matter  This report reviews recent changes in the ownership of electricity and gas networks in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland). 

Author: Steve Thomas

multinational companies active in the energy sector in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Americas, Middle East and Europe. - by PSIRU

http://www.psiru.org/reports/mncs-electricity-and-gas-2013 This report provides updates on 29 multinational companies active in the energy sector in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Americas, Middle East and Europe.

Author: David Hall

HIGHLIGHT- REMUNICIPALISATION - PSIRU

There is a growing move towards re-municipalisation of water services throughout the world.  This is due to widespread problems affecting water privatisation, the equal or greater efficiency of public water services and reduced prices due to elimination of excessive profits   However, it is also due to the comparative advantage of the public sector in realising the human right to water and sanitation and achieving other social and environmental objectives.   There is also a growing list of other utilities and public services which are returning to public sector provision, which PSIRU is documenting.  PSIRU has compiled 86 examples of water re-municipalisation.  The report is available here.  or at http://www.psiru.org/reports/list-water-re-municipalisations-worldwide-november-2013 

Advice from PSIRU www.psiru.org

Welcome to the first issue of the PSIRU newsletter.

http://gmpsiaprec.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/welcome-to-first-issue-of-psiru.html

PSIRU NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2013 No 1 www.psiru.org

The Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU) investigates the impact of privatisation and liberalisation on public services, with a specific focus on water, energy, waste management, health and social care sectors.  Other research topics include the function and structure of public services, the strategies of multinational companies and influence of international financial institutions on public services. PSIRU is based in the Business Faculty, University of Greenwich, London, UK.

Welcome to the first issue of the PSIRU newsletter.  The aim is to provide information about where PSIRU researchers are presenting their research, which reflects a growing interest in public services,  recent PSIRU reports, new developments in companies working in the five main sectors (energy/ health and social care/ municipal /water/ waste management) and proposed World Bank projects ‘in the pipeline’.  Company updates and brief descriptions of ‘in the pipeline’ World Bank projects are to provide information for PSI/EPSU affiliates and other interested groups. 

There are four sections:

1.       Recent conferences and workshops attended by PSIRU researchers and visitors to PSIRU

2.       New PSIRU reports

3.       Recent mergers, acquisition and sales by multinational companies working in energy, health/ social care, municipal, water/ waste management/ water sectors.

4.       Proposed ‘in the pipeline’ World Bank Group projects in the energy, health/ social care, waste management and water sectors.

HIGHLIGHT- REMUNICIPALISATION

There is a growing move towards re-municipalisation of water services throughout the world.  This is due to widespread problems affecting water privatisation, the equal or greater efficiency of public water services and reduced prices due to elimination of excessive profits   However, it is also due to the comparative advantage of the public sector in realising the human right to water and sanitation and achieving other social and environmental objectives.   There is also a growing list of other utilities and public services which are returning to public sector provision, which PSIRU is documenting.  PSIRU has compiled 86 examples of water re-municipalisation.  The report is available here.

Events attended by PSIRU researchers

On 1 October 2013, a delegation from the Australian Services Union (ASU) visited PSIRU to discuss local authority developments in the UK and Australia as well as recent work on privatisation and public services in the water, energy and healthcare sectors.

On 4 December 2013, Prof. Leo Heller, from the Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering in the Federal University of Minas Gerais visited PSIRU to discuss public participation and the research and information needs of social movements.

Jane Lethbridge spoke at a fringe meeting of the Labour Party Conference on 24 September 2013, organised by ‘We Own it’, to discuss a proposed Public Service Users Bill and its inclusion in the Labour Party manifesto.

On 20 November 2013 Jane Lethbridge spoke to the European Affairs Committee of the Danish trade union, OAO, Copenhagen on ‘the British experience of public-private partnerships’.

Emanuele Lobina spoke on water remunicipalization in Europe at a conference organised on 21 September 2013 by the Italian Forum of Water Movements to support the campaign for remunicipalizing water in Turin, Italy. He also spoke at a workshop organised on 24 September 2013 by the Italian Forum of Water Movements to support the campaign for remunicipalizing water in the Lazio region, Italy.

On 10 September 2013 Emanuele Lobina presented a paper on reassessing corporatization in the European water sector at an EU-funded workshop on New Public Management in Edinburgh.

Emanuele Lobina spoke on the merits of water remunicipalisation at a seminar organised by the Lazio regional government (the region including Rome), Italy on 11 November 2013.

Emanuele Lobina spoke at a seminar organised by ‘Economistas sin Fronteras’ on ‘Economía Crítica y Crítica de la Economía’ held at the University of Grenada, Spain.

Emanuele Lobina spoke on ‘PUP in context: How do we define the Public-Public Partnerships we want to promote?’  at the Reclaiming Public Water Network’s strategy meeting, ‘The Future of Public Water’ Barcelona, 25-26 November 2013.

Emanuele Lobina  spoke on ‘Lessons from the ACP-EU Water Facility’s Partnerships Initiative’ at the Global Water Operators Partnership (GWOP) Congress and Global Water Operators Partnership Alliance (GWOPA) in Barcelona 27-29 November 2013. 

David Hall presented a paper on 'Services of general interest under regimes of fiscal austerity' for a conference 'Beyond the Single Market – External and international dimensions of services of general interest in EU law' held at Erlangen University, Germany on 18 September 2013.

David Hall presented on 'Remunicipalisation' to a seminar at the European Parliament organised by GUE/NGL/FSE (European United Left/Forum Social Europe) on 'Reclaiming our commons, 'free trade' and trade union strategy under neo-liberalism' 17 October 2013.

Steve Thomas spoke at an ESRC funded conference at Liverpool University ‘Going Nuclear Seminar Series; Event 2: The UK and Nuclear Energy – Taking Stock’ on 1 November 2013.

Steve Thomas chaired and spoke at a seminar ‘The future of energy policy briefing' organised by Policy Knowledge in London 6 November 2013.

Steve Thomas gave a Guest Lecture at EuroCollege, University of Tartu, Estonia on 'Nuclear power economics' in the Jean Monnet module on Energy and Environment on 18 November 2013.

Steve Thomas attended the Franco-British Council debate on European Energy Policy in Paris, 20 November 2013.

Steve Thomas was an invited speaker at King’s College Think Tank seminar: 'The Future of Nuclear Power’ on 26 November 2013.

Steve Thomas was an invited speaker at a conference organised by the Federation of European Progressive Studies (FEPS) in Budapest 'Sustainable Energy policy for consumers, the solution in European’ promoted by the Hungarian Socialist Party, MSZP on 10 December 2013.

Steve Thomas has been interviewed regularly on local and national radio stations to talk about UK energy pricing and nuclear power issues.  

New PSIRU reports

CIVICA Profile by Jane Lethbridge

This report provides a profile of CIVICA, a company providing ICT and other management services such as ‘agile’ working, Electronic Data Management and workflow to local authorities and other public sector agencies in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada and the United States. The report is available here

Steria Profile by Jane Lethbridge

This report provides a profile of Steria, a French multinational company operating in local and central government sectors in the UK, France, Germany, the Nordic region and India.  The report is available here.

Challenges of Digital Government by Jane Lethbridge and David Hall

This report examines how digitalisation has affected employment in the retail sector and how a group of countries - Singapore, Denmark, Germany and Japan - have approached the digitalisation of government services.  The recent experience of digitalisation in UK government services is analysed as well as identifying issues faced by service users.  The report concludes that training of civil servants is crucial for the success of digital government.  The report is available here

Tax justice briefing Asia-Pacific region

by Jane Lethbridge

This report provides a briefing on tax justice in the Asia-Pacific region, highlighting the following issues: the importance of taxation, tax havens and off-shore finance, tax base erosion and profit-shifting (BEPS) and ways of addressing tax evasion.  The report is available here.

Tax justice briefing on Africa by Jane Lethbridge and Sandra van Niekerk

This report provides a briefing on tax justice in Africa, highlighting the following issues: the importance of taxation, tax havens and off-shore finance, tax base erosion and profit-shifting (BEPS) and ways of addressing tax evasion. The report is available here.

International Financial Institutions and Energy Investments by David Hall, Sandra van Niekerk, Jenny Nguyen, Steve Thomas

This report examines the activities of the international financial institutions (IFIs) as they affect finance for the energy sector, through their preferences for private companies and insistence on eliminating price subsidies, and how investments to extend electricity networks and develop new electricity generation depend largely on public finance.  The report is available

here .

Renewable Energy by David Hall, Sandra van Niekerk, Jenny Nguyen, Steve Thomas

This report analyses the relative role of the public and private sectors in renewable energy, particularly the importance of the public sector, the restructuring taking place in high income countries and the opportunities in low income countries.  The report is available here.

Liberalisation, privatisation and public ownership  by David Hall, Sandra van Niekerk, Jenny Nguyen, Steve Thomas

This paper reviews the trends in privatisation and liberalisation in the energy sector, and the development of remunicipalisation and renationalisation in Germany and elsewhere. It is available here.

MNCs in Electricity and Gas 2013 by

David Hall, Sandra van Niekerk, Jenny Nguyen, Steve Thomas

This report provides updates on 29 multi-national companies active in the energy sector in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Americas, Middle East and Europe.  The report is available here.

Por qué la ANDE no der ser privatizada by

David Hall and Mercedes Canese (Ministry of Public Works and Communications, Government of Paraguay).

The report explains by the Paraguayan Administración Nacional de Electricidad (ANDE) should not be privatised. The report is available here

Recent company changes

Health care

Private equity company, Bridgepoint, has sold Terveystalo, the largest private hospital and healthcare chain in Finland, to EQT, a Nordic private equity company.[i]

UnitedHealth Group recently acquired a majority stake in Amil Participações S.A., Brazil's largest health care company, providing health and dental benefits, hospital and clinical services, and advanced care management resources to more than 5 million people in Latin America.  [ii]  [iii]

Meanwhile, UnitedHealth Group is withdrawing from the UK market, especially primary care.  Staff will be moved to Optum Health and Technology, another subsidiary working across Europe. [iv]

Social Care

Medica has bought Senior Living in Belgium from Waterland, a private equity company. Analysts indicate that Medica paid €280-290m for the group.[v]

In December 2013, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board paid €321m for a 15% in French nursing home group Orpea, bought from its founder Jean-Claude Marian. It also underwrote and took 30% of a share issue to finance new growth. [vi]

Waste management

Cheung Kong Infrastructure (CKI), a large multinational group based in Hong Kong, has expanded into waste management with two major acquisitions in 2013. It already owns electricity and gas distribution, transmission and generating companies in China/Hong Kong, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and water companies in the UK. 

In January 2013 it bought Envirowaste, one of the largest  waste management companies in New Zealand, for about USD$410 million.

In August 2013 CKI bought AVR, a waste-to-energy incineration business operating in Netherlands and Belgium, from the Dutch waste group Van Gansewinkel, for SD$1.25 billion.  Van Gansewinkel, which is owned by private equity firms KKR and CVC,  continues to operate in other waste management activities, including refuse collection: in 2012 it cut 600 jobs - 10% of its workforce.[vii]

Water/ Energy/ waste management

In March 2013, Veolia sold its water, wastewater and electricity services business in Morocco, operated by concession companies Redal and Amendis, to the private equity group Actis, for about €340 million. Veolia will continue to provide technical support for Actis under a 3-year management contract. The contracts have been strongly opposed by local people and unions. Actis is a private equity firm, originally created by the UK government, with no experience of the water sector, but has been widely condemned for its management of the Ugandan electricity distribution company Umeme.

The water operations of CGEP in Portugal, consisting of 4 concessions with 423 employees, were sold by Veolia in March 2013 to  Beijing Enterprises Water Group (BEWG). BEWG is majority owned by the municipality of Beijing, China. This is its first significant overseas activity in the water sector. 

Veolia has bought the 50% share of Proactiva previously held by the Spanish group FCC, and so Proactiva now becomes a 100%-owned subsidiary of Veolia. Proactiva operates in water and waste management in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. It's main water management contracts are in Guayaquil (Ecuador) - where there is a long-standing public campaign to terminate the contract - Mexico City (Mexico) and Lima (Peru) and waste management in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Caracas (Venezuela), São Paulo (Brazil) and Santiago (Chile).It  had sales of  €541 million in 2012, and nearly 12,000 employees. [viii]

The government of Berlin, Germany has bought Veolia’s 24.9% stake in the Berlin Water Company for over €600million. This completes the re-municipalisation of Berlin’s water. [ix]

World Bank Group projects ‘IN PIPELINE’

The World Bank and Renewable Energy

Since ‘sustainability’ became a major element of the World Bank’s policy towards the energy sector, for example through the Sustainable Energy for ALL (SE4ALL) programme), [x] there has always been a large gap between the rhetoric of their support for renewables and where their funding actually goes. This gap between rhetoric and action is not unusual for the World Bank. Throughout the period from the mid-1990s to the early 21^st century, the policy of energy market liberalisation talked about privatisation and introduction of competition, but in practice the introduction of competition was forgotten so that the companies were attractive purchases for private investors. The autumn 2013 edition of the Bretton Woods Observer [xi] exposes in detail how investment in the energy sector is now very much directed towards financing natural gas-fired power plants, an option that is exposes developing countries to the volatile and unpredictable world gas market, potentially locking them into very expensive imports of fuel.

World Bank projects – in ‘pipeline’ not yet approved (value $100m or more)

*Indicates specific private sector involvement

** Institutional strengthening

Health

**Romania Health Sector Reform  P145174 $325.00m.  This project will strengthen prevention and health promotion, rationalize health service delivery, increase secondary specialized ambulatory services, and

promote improvements in treatment of the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through use of clinical pathways.[xii]

**Argentina Support to the Integral Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases Project             P133193 $450.00 Institutional strengthening for non-communicable disease prevention/ control.[xiii]

* Croatia Health System Quality and Efficiency Improvement P144871 $103.50 To support the limiting of  public expenditure on health, promote competitiveness through outsourcing of medical and non- medical services as well as increasing use of EU funds.[xiv]

Energy 

Russian Federation Energy Efficiency Financing Project P122492 $300.00 To improve the efficiency of energy use in Russia by scaling-up commercial lending by banks for energy efficiency investments in the industrial and public sectors [xv]  

* / ** Vietnam Transmission Efficiency Project (TEP) P131558 $500.00 Main objective to strengthen transmission network and regulations as well as regional subsidiaries of EVN (the state-owned monopoly in electricity). The regulatory body (ERAV) will also be consulted in building an effective regulatory scheme for transmission and distribution. There is no sign, or not yet, of any private sector participation as transmission and distribution remain state-owned and state-controlled via EVN. [xvi]

Ukraine District Heating Energy Efficiency P132741 $250.00 Project to improve energy efficiency

*/** Serbia Public Enterprise Restructuring DPL 1 P127408 $200.00 To reduce the scope of state involvement in the enterprise sector by completing the privatization agenda and improving the performance of enterprises which are likely to remain in the public domain in the near to medium-term.[xvii]

Water/ waste management

*Nigeria Irrigation and Water Resources Management Project P123112 $400.00 Creation of public-private partnership for irrigation management.[xviii]

Lebanon-Water Augmentation Project P125184 $125.00

India Bihar Flood Rehabilitation Phase II P127725 $250.00

*Vietnam Second Ho Chi Minh City Environmental Sanitation Project P127978 $450.00  The project includes a Wastewater Treatment Plant.  A Design Build (DB) or a Design Build Operate (DBO) scheme is being considered where a private company will design and build the system. [xix]

India Integrated flood and erosion management in NE region P128421 $150.00

**Indonesia Metropolitan and Urban Development Project  P129406 $400.00 Institutional strengthening of municipalities and water resource management.[xx]

China Anhui Yellow Mountain New Countryside Demonstration Project P129563 $100.00  Institutional support to improve service quality and income generating opportunities.

Ethiopia Pastoral Community Development Project III P130276 $110.00

**Sri Lanka Strategic Cities Development Project P130548 $150.00 Improvement in urban services and municipal institutional strengthening[xxi]

**Tunisia TN-Urban Dev. and Local Governance P130637 $100.00 Strengthen role of

local governments in planning, financing and delivering municipal facilities and services.[xxii]

China Huainan Coal Mining Subsidence Area Rehabilitation P133000 $100.00

China Guilin Integrated Environment Management P133017 $100.00

China Shaanxi Small Towns Infrastructure Project P133069 $150.00

China Sichuan Chongqing Cooperation: Guangan Demonstration Area Infrastructure Development Project P133456 $100.00[xxiii]

* Bangladesh Municipal Governance and Services Project P133653 $410.00 –Criteria for success include cost recovery, private sector participation and economic rate of return of at least 12%. [xxiv]

Sri Lanka Improving Climate Resilience P146314 $110.00 Reduce environmental risks & improving government capacity to respond to emergencies [xxv]

Jane Lethbridge

J.lethbridge@gre.ac.uk

16 December 2013

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[i] http://www.pehub.com/2013/09/bridgepoint-sells-terveystalo-eqt/

[ii] http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20121010/business/business9.html

[iii]http://www.uhc.com/news_room/2013_news_release_archive/international_alliances.htm

[iv] http://m.hsj.co.uk/5063267.article

[v] http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/29/medica-idUSnBw285032a+100+BSW20130729

[vi] http://www.cppib.com/en/public-media/news-releases/2013/CPPIB-ORPEA-2013.html

[vii]http://www.cki.com.hk/english/PDF_file/news/2013/20130725_1.pdf

http://www.vangansewinkelgroep.com/news/20130828verkoopvgonderdeelavrdefinitief.aspx

see also: http://www.psiru.org/sites/default/files/2012-08-G-EWC.docx

[viii] http://www.veolia.com/en/medias/press-releases/agreement-sell-activities-morocco.htm; http://www.veolia.com/en/medias/press-releases/sell-subsidiary-veolia-water-portugal.htm; http://www.veolia.com/en/medias/press-releases/agreement-fcc-own-proactiva.htm

[ix] http://www.epsu.org/IMG/pdf/2012_Water_companies-EWCS.pdf

[x]http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/energy/publication/Global-Tracking-Framework-Report

[xi] http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/bw_observer_autumn13.pdf

[xii] World Bank (2013) PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID) CONCEPT STAGE Report No.: PIDC1044

[xiii] World Bank (2013) http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2013/01/24/000231615_20130124134105/Rendered/PDF/PIDC6470SPANIS0020020130Box374312B.pdf

[xiv] World Bank (2013) PROGRAM-FOR-RESULTS INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID)

CONCEPT STAGE Report No.: AB7293

[xv] World Bank (2013) http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/ECA/2011/09/27/D4D491FD988EAEA8852579180031654C/1_0/Rendered/PDF/P1224920PID0Ap027201101317113971608.pdf

[xvi] World Bank (2013) Integrated safeguards data sheet concept state transmission efficiency project

http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/10/18438588/integrated-safeguards-data-sheet-concept-stage-transmission-efficiency-project-tep-p131558

[xvii] World Bank (2012)  http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P127408/serbia-public-enterprise-restructuring-dpl-1?lang=en

[xviii] World Bank (2013) http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P123112/irrigation-water-resources-management-project?lang=en

[xix] World Bank (2013) http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P127978/second-ho-chi-minh-city-environmental-sanitation-project?lang=en

[xx] World Bank (2013) http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2012/06/16373873/project-information-document-concept-stage-metropolitan-urban-development-project-p129406

[xxi] World Bank (2013) http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/10/18417972/project-information-document-concept-stage-sri-lanka-strategic-cities-development-project-p130548

[xxii] World Bank (2013) http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P130637/tn-urban-development?lang=en

[xxiii] World Bank (2013) http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/09/18278516/project-information-document-concept-stage-sichuan-chongqing-cooperation-guangan-demonstration-area-infrastructure-development-project-p133456

[xxiv] World Bank (2013) http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P133653/municipal-governance-services-project?lang=en&tab=overview

[xxv] World Bank (2013) http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/09/18248616/integrated-safeguards-data-sheet-concept-stage-improving-climate-resilience-p146314