ABSTRACT
One of the most powerful tools of applied mathematics is binarity. Messages in computers can be reduced to sheer endless rows of binary digits (i.e. of yes or no or black or white decisions). Binarity has been so successful in our computerized civilization that black and white thinking seems to have become the normal mode of thinking. Caricature aside, reality is full of shades of grey. Regarding the topic of this book, reality is mostly state as well as private sector. In a simplified model, we can associate each economic activity some place on a continuum between state and private sector. Public–private partnership (PPP) is the rule, not the exception, for activities touching public interests and requiring good and cost-efficient management.
