Bigger economies, smaller governments

Privatization of large national enterprises has been the most far-reaching of Latin America's dramatic structural reforms, the objective being to underpin fiscal stability by shedding huge capital requirements. But long-term gains to the economy also depend on such factors as increased efficiency through better communications and infrastructure and on a more dynamic private sector.

Have these gains been achieved? Much has been written on the theory and objectives of privatization and on techniques for privatization. Until now, however, there has been little empirical examination of the results.

In this volume, leading economists of Chile, Mexico, and Argentina assess the impact of privatization on fiscal stability, enterprise and economic efficiency, national savings, the development of capital markets, and advances in technology from both the micro- and macro-economic perspectives.