ABSTRACT
Security is one of the most urgent issues in the examined cities. Crime rates are very high in Johannesburg and Sao Paulo and are certainly a concern in Mumbai/Bombay and Shanghai. The inadequate provision of basic services, such as water, health, housing, and transportation is a key component of the public problems in city regions of the developing world. The extent of private solutions in these sectors is therefore particularly instructive for investigating the new role of private actors. Involving private actors who are primarily interested in augmenting their own profits therefore makes private solutions particularly delicate. The far-reaching economic restructuring processes in all four city regions have gone hand in hand with changes in the institutional setting. One of the most important institutional arrangements in any society is a functioning system of property rights. The new Brazilian constitution of 1988 has significantly strengthened the municipalities, making them part of the federation.
