In "Rules for a Flat World", Hadfield argues that although the world is becoming increasingly connected and faster paced due to leaps in technological innovation, the prevailing legal systems -- established by governments and run almost exclusively by lawyers -- have not kept pace. They are increasingly proving ill suited for and…

This timely special report from ALA Editions provides a succinct but comprehensive overview of the "privatization" of public libraries. It provides a history of the trend of local and state governments privatizing public services and assets, and then examines the history of public library privatization right up to the California…

When contracting with private companies for support services, districts should define goals and requirements; develop requests for proposals; and create a team with legal, financial, user, and task-management expertise. Contracts should be in plain English, avoid open-ended lists, define terms, and specify service provision details. (MLH)

Analyses of private higher education should consider the increasingly important for-profit sector in many countries. Yet information on the for-profit sector has been quite limited. Even in the United States, where for-profit higher education is well-established, only recently have researchers turned their attention to studying its scope and…

Recent incidents in the Baltimore and Piscatawny (New Jersey) school districts reveal a new ethical problem: how to treat school leaders' out-of-school relationships with private companies doing business with their districts. Contracting for instructional services could lead to collusion between administrators and contractors. Strict financial…

The U.S. Supreme Court through its interpretation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause may ultimately determine whether state-funded voucher proposals are widely adopted. This paper overviews changes in Establishment-Clause doctrine, reviews relevant litigation, and explores potential implications of recent legal developments. (Contains 80…

Like county governments, hospitals, and municipalities, superintendents must develop policies and protocols for requesting proposals, administering contracts, and ensuring desired results of private-sector services. Administrators should consider performance criteria, legal issues, cost and efficiency analysis, contractor evaluation criteria, and…