Twelve years after it was started, the liberalization of the Indian economy remains an ideological and operational battleground. There is mainstream national consensus on the need and irreversibility of reforms, but widespread disagreement about its pace and the sharing of its benefits. A basic aspect of the withdrawal of the state from the economic sphere has been the divestment to private parties of the shares (and in some cases control) of public sector enterprises (PSUs) [or state-owned enterprises (SOEs)]. This has affected thousands of Indians, and triggered fierce political debates.

The book gives a comprehensive roundup of the why and how of SOE privatization. It provides a perspective on the past, present and future of PSU divestment from someone who has studied the process up close. Before the commentary on the Indian experience, the book touches on the historical development of the idea of private enterprise in public works, and the major theoretical positions on the state versus private ownership debate.