Doctoral Dissertation Research: State Autonomy, Accountability, and Utility Privatization in Nicaragua and El Salvador

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This dissertation investigates privatization of energy and water utilities in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Privatization has become one of the leading strategies in international development circles and yet most of our knowledge is based on the experiences of developed countries. This study will compare the recent experience in two Central American countries with different histories of privatization. In Costa Rica, privatization has been slow and deliberate while Nicaragua has embraced international pressures to privatize quickly with less public participation. Secondary data will be used to document the type and extent of privatization in each of the industries in each country. Interviews with government, business, and union leaders in the two countries will evaluate who the important actors were in the transition to privatization, what the perceived benefits and costs have been as a result of privatization, and how state regulation has played a role in the water and energy industries.