Public Service, Private Profits: The Political Economy of Public/Private Partnerships in Canada

An analysis of the claim that private-public partnerships (called PPPs or P3s) reduce the building and operating costs of public projects and services, this study examines a large number of P3 case studies—from schools, bridges, and water treatment plants to social services and hospital food services—and concludes the opposite: most P3s are more costly to build and finance, provide poorer services, and are less accessible than if they had been built and operated by public servants. The book provides a clear explanation of what P3s are, the misleading accounting procedures used by governments to make them appear more palatable, and how many essential services are less accountable to citizens when private corporations become involved.