Corporatization at the local level

Chapter 28: Corporatization of local public services, or the movement of functions previously provided by local governments into autonomous corporate entities, is now a significant trend in many countries across the globe. Although the creation and use of corporate forms of organization by local government is not a new phenomenon, its rapid growth in recent years marks an important episode in the contemporary evolution of local democratic governance. This chapter examines the dominant approaches to corporatization at the local level, and discusses their implications for the governance, accountability and performance of local public services.