September’s issue of Economic Affairs focuses on lessons from privatisation, with articles looking at how privatisation and deregulation in energy, telecoms, water and rail benefited consumers, shareholders and taxpayers. The lessons are applied to proposals to privatise the post office.

In addition, there are articles on the Morcambe Bay Tragedy, tax policy, freedom and constitutions and the ECB’s monetary policy together with columns and reviews.

Contents:

Lessons from privatisation by David Parker

Further lessons from privatisation by Martin Ricketts

Privatisation of energy: was it necessary? by Nigel Essex

Water privatisation: too much regulation? by Colin Robinson

The UK railway privatisation: failing to succeed? by David Tyrrall

It’s not too late to privatise Royal Mail by Ian Senior

Other Articles

Making up history: a comment on Pratten by E Roy Wientraub

Reclaiming history: a reply to Wientraub by Stephen Pratten

Rethinking tax policies: new ideas from a dead economist

by Kurt Wickman and Christopher Lingle

Creating a constitutional order of freedom in emerging market economies by James A Dorn

What monetary policy can do: the clarified approach of the ECB by Dietrich Schonwitz

Economic Viewpoints

The Morecambe Bay cockle pickers: market failure or government disaster?

by John Meadowcroft and John Blundell

Principles of Politics Applicable to All Governments by Benjamin Constant

by Dennis O’Keeffe

Columns

Squeezing the rich is no answer to profligacy by Tim Congdon

The right to education by James Tooley

Environmentalists muddy the water by Roger Bate

Externalities and the proper role of government by John Meadowcroft