BGP-257M: Procurement, Privatization, and Partnerships

Semester: Spr Mod4

Credit: 0.5

Faculty: John Donahue

Schedule

Day Time Location
First Day 3/23
Meet Day T/Th 11:40 AM - 1:00 PM L230
Review

Description

Offers an intensive overview of the analytics and management of indirect government action.  Students will gain practice in thinking through the substantive merits and managerial imperatives of various forms of delegation, ranging from straightforward procurement, through more sophisticated service privatization, and on intricate collaborations.  Focuses primarily on the delegation of public sector functions rather than on the transfer of assets into private hands.  Thus students whose primary interest is asset privatization in developing or post-Communist economies will find the module of limited relevance.  Discussion will be based primarily on cases, with a modest  number of theoretical readings concentrated in the earlier sessions.  While a number of technical issues will be touched upon in the course of the module, efficiency and accountability in delegated governmental action seldom hinges on any single technique but rather the practical application of a portfolio of approaches drawn from economic, political, and organizational theory.  Assessment will be on the basis of in-class contributions and written assignments.