A tale of two nationalisations: experiences of post 1945 public ownership in the UK and France compared Online publication date: Fri, 12-Apr-2019
by Andrew Cumbers
International Journal of Public Policy (IJPP), Vol. 15, No. 1/2, 2019
Abstract: As public ownership comes back into fashion following the failings and growing contradictions of neoliberal processes of marketisation and privatisation, it is important to learn the lessons for public policy from earlier processes of nationalisation. In this article, I compare the post 1945 experiences of nationalisation in the UK and France. Both countries underwent sweeping processes of nationalisation in the aftermath of the Second World War amidst a broader international shift towards a more state driven model of economic development under capitalism. However, the two experiences of nationalisation diverged considerably, reflecting underlying differences in past forms of economic development, the different balance of class forces and the integration of each country into the broader global economy. The article suggests that these experiences remind us of the importance of a variegated perspective on the evolution of capitalism, distinctive political-economic trajectories and situating major policy shifts in time and space.
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Public Policy (IJPP):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:
Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.
If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com
Our Blog 
Follow us on Twitter 
Visit us on Facebook