Privatization

Increasingly, cash-strapped cities and states are selling off public assets and services in exchange for lump sums of money. Proponents say the private sector can do many things better than government, and usually for less money. Critics say privatization exploits financial hardship, undermines democracy and, in the long-run, costs taxpayers money.

KRC Executive Director Steve Herzenberg will join veteran WPSU interviewer Patty Satalia to explain what privatization means and what's at stake.

April 11, 2013 at 8 p.m.

PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS EDITORIAL

STATE lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are miffed at Gov. Corbett for contracting with a British firm to privately manage the state lottery. So are we, but not for the same reasons.

Some lawmakers gripe that Corbett pulled a stealth move that will be bad for the state: the contract had only a single bidder, the aptly named Camelot. Budget experts say that the potential return doesn't justify the move, especially since the state seems to be running the lottery well enough to reach record-setting revenues - now $1 billion a year.

By Jan Murphy
Harrisburg Patriot-News 

Gov. Tom Corbett is a week away from executing an agreement that will turn the Pennsylvania Lottery over to United Kingdom-based Camelot Global Services PA, LLC for the next 20 years.

This outsourcing will be the topic of a Senate Finance Committee hearing today.

The following attempts to shed some light on this new arrangement and how it came to be.

What changes will lottery players see under a private manager?

The lottery is in for a bit of a makeover.

View KRC"s Policy Brief on Lottery Privatization Plan