ABSTRACT

In the context of widespread public sector crises engendered by neoliberal globalization, social movements have sought to resist the privatization of basic services such as water, electricity, and health care and to promote democratic development of public and community alternatives (Parliamentary Forum, WSF 2006). In contrast to literature on participatory governance in public service sectors that focus on how institutions work rather than how they come about, this chapter focuses on the role of social movements in advancing the development and implementation of “alternatives to privatization”.