A Survey of Privatization and Outsourcing Initiatives

The debate continues as to whether use of the private sector really lowers cost. Some opponents say that outsourcing and privatizaiton actually increase costs, but experience argues the opposite. In this report, we survey selected recent initiatives on privatization, competition, and outsourcing in both government and nongovernment sectors. We draw from a variety of publications and reports by the Defense Science Board, the Commission on Roles and Missions, and the General Accounting Office, as well as CNA's prior work and the work of other research organizations.