Managing Public Goods in Favour of the People
Public goods or services (supply and access to water, electricity, land, education, health care etc.) and their availability, financing, ownership and management are contested issues in almost all countries in the world. In the contemporary global neo-liberal context, privatising of what was once public services is seen and ideologically justified as the 'only way'. In recognising the impacts of different policies, politics and ideologies on public services, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation together with its partners, is with this Conference staging a forum for discussion, debating, exchanging of views and experiences.
Contact [email protected] for more information.
Open Invitation
The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and its partners take pleasure in inviting
you to a Conference on
Managing Public Goods in Favour of the People
to be held in Jo'burg from 03-06 December 2003
Public goods or services (supply and access to water, electricity, land,
education, health care etc.) and their availability, financing, ownership
and management are a generally contested issues almost all countries in
the world. In the contemporary global neo-liberal context in which
privatising of what was once public services is seen and ideologically
justified as the 'only way'. South Africa too is caught in the middle.
At the centre of these processes is the ideologically driven goal of
curving a cost efficient 'lean State'. The privatisation of public assets
is claimed as to be the 'only alternative' in addressing socio-economic
problems (unemployment, jobless economic growth, and 'budget constrains')
In recognising the impacts of different policies, politics and ideologies
on public services in this country, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation together
with its partners, is with this Conference staging a forum for discussion,
debating, exchanging views and experiences. Furthermore, it can be a
platform not only to reflect on current forms of resistance and their (in)
adequacy but also to deliberate on effective methods of engagement with
the forces bent on commercialising every aspect of our lives.
The Conference should aim, among other things, to tackle the role of the
current nation-state and the resultant 'crisis of public services'. At the
end we should at least have a clearer picture of what role can/should the
nation-state, the people and their organisations have in matters of public
goods. How best can these goods be financed, owned, maintained, and
managed?
The format of the envisaged Conference will provide space to more general
keynote contributions as well as to working group discussions on different
topics (water, electricity, housing, land, health care, education etc.)
We kindly request you to distribute this invitation widely to any
interested party.
All registered participants will receive a confirmation, the conference
materials and a detailed programme by 11 November 2003.
The deadline for confirmation of your participation is the 1st November
2003. Please fill in the requested information and send the attached form
back to us to cater for your participation.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Arndt Hopfmann
(Head of the RLF Regional Office, on behalf of the organising committee)
ROSA LUXEMBURG FOUNDATION
Sable Centre (9th Floor), 41 De Korte Street
Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2001
PostNet Suite 96, P.B. X42
Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2017
Phone: +27(0)11-3393130
Cell-Phone 082-4194242
Fax: +27(0)11-4032344