Public and Private Ownership of British Industry, 1820-1990

Britain led the way for much of the world with industrial privatization during the 1980s. Yet the historical origins of the process have rarely been discussed. This study shows how a common set of problems raised by basic industries, such as railways, gas, water, electricity, and telecommunications, have triggered varying responses of public policy over the last two centuries. In this original analysis, James Foreman-Peck and Robert Millward provide a coherent and thorough history of the network industries, which continue to play an important role in the British economy.