Privatization, contracting-out and inter-municipal cooperation: New developments in local public service delivery

We briefly review recent advances in the empirical analysis of the privatization and inter-municipal cooperation of local public services and discuss the potential of these studies. The core issues examined include the identification of factors driving delivery choices and the effects of privatization and cooperation on service provisions. In addition to reporting the specific empirical findings of each study, we highlight the innovative methodologies that they each adopt. Finally, we outline a number of potential avenues for further research