Winners and Losers: Assessing the distributional impact of privatization (2002)

While most technical assessments classify privatization as a success, it remains widely and  increasingly unpopular, largely because of the perception that it is fundamentally unfair, both in  conception and execution.  We review the increasing (but still uneven) literature and conclude  that most privatization programs appear to have worsened the distribution of assets and  income, at least in the short run.  This is more evident in transition economies than in Latin  America, and less clear for utilities such as electricity and telecommunications, where the poor  have tended to benefit from much greater access, than for banks, oil companies, and other natural resource producers.