ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on meanings given to the words "social security privatization," in order to prevent misunderstandings and confusion. It presents a number of fundamental considerations on the concept of privatization in social security, and provides the different aspects from which "privatization" can be approached. The starting point for privatization in the sense of the redistribution of responsibilities between the state and the private sector may not just be historically different; there may also be other "taboo areas”. The chapter also focuses on privatization or of privatization processes that will be used to show how context-dependent the term privatization is, in other words how differently people talk about privatization in various branches of social security and in various social protection systems. It explores what the term privatization can mean as a synonym for other terms. Social security can be provided by both public and private institutions.
