about us

Public World is a London-based international social enterprise focused on making democracy and dialogue work for better jobs and services.

We work through a network of consultants and researchers with combined experience covering more than 100 countries, all sectors of public services and the key issues of governance and delivery.

Our clients and partners include international institutions, non-governmental organisations, labour unions and government agencies.

Our mission is to:

Public World: 15 years of committed research and rigorous analysis.

Since 1990, Public World has worked with unions, civil society organisations, international institutions and governments worldwide. Today we continue to build on our record for fresh thinking about public service reform aimed at quality services and quality jobs.

We have worked with:

Global union federations such as Public Services International (PSI) and International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), to analyse the social and employment effects of privatisation and labour restructuring, and develop democratic and socially just alternatives.

Civil society organisations such as Oxfam and Wateraid, carrying out research and policy development projects to enable them to engage more effectively with public service reform to deliver the Millennium Development Goals.

International institutions such as the World Bank, with which we work to build more effective dialogue with civil society organisations, such as our recent work with the Freshwater Action Network (FAN).

Listed below are some of the diverse projects Public World has undertaken:

Public World and Governments

Public World worked with New Zealand Department of Labour's Partnership Resource Centre to explore what productivity means and how it can be measured in the public service context, and how improving workplace democracy can improve productivity. Link to Partnership and productivity reports

 Partnership and productivity
    • executive summary    
    • full report

Recommended by the Philippines labour unions, we worked with Philippines Civil Service Commission to promote shared understanding between Government departments, labour unions and NGOs about the priorities for public service reform and the labour and social impacts of privatisation.

In South Africa, we worked as consultants to the Department for Constitutional Development to develop shared understanding about a regulatory framework for public-private partnerships in municipal services. This involved a series of workshops, seminars and meetings, and production of a draft report to Cabinet.

In Vietnam, we provided human resources advice to the Ministry of Labour as part of a team that advised government officials on a range of social and economic issues in the context of privatisation and other mechanisms for increasing private investment.

Public World and the World Bank

Public World has liaised with NGOs worldwide in leading civil society dialogue with the World Bank about its public services and privatisation policies. As well as moderating the electronic dialogue about the 2004 World Development Report, we provided a background paper: What is public about public services?

In addition, we have provided material for the toolkit on labour issues in infrastructure privatisation for the Private Participation in Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF), ensuring that it provides accurate data about the employment impacts and advice to governments to consult with unions.

Public World at the International Labour Organisation

Public World produced an ILO report about privatisation in 'transition' countries; a report on the impacts of deregulation and privatisation on north American power and water utilities; and a report on the impact of municipal service privatisation on efficiency and quality of services and the jobs, pay and conditions of their workers.

In addition, we have served as advisors to the Workers' Sides in a series of ILO Joint Meetings. These included the 1995 Joint Meeting on the Impact of Structural Adjustment in the Public Service; the 2001 Joint Meeting on the Impact of Decentralization of privatisation on Municipal Services; the 2002 Joint Meeting on Social Dialogue in the Health Services: Institutions, Capacity and Effectiveness; and the 2003 Joint Meeting on on Public Emergency Services: Social Dialogue in a Changing Environment.

Public World and Migration of Health Care Workers

Public World served as consultant to the Commonwealth Secretariat in 2001 and 2002 in the development of a Code of Conduct concerning the recruitment of health care professionals between Commonwealth countries. We facilitated intergovernmental meetings of health ministry officials and drafted a code and a companion document to guide ministerial meetings.

Public World Building Union Capacity in 'Transition Countries'

Public World has been engaged by Public Service International as a resource in high level training seminars for union leaders about globalization, privatisation and public service reform in several former 'communist' countries, including Albania, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Romania, Russia and Ukraine.

In addition, we worked with public service unions in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Republika Srpska to develop dialogue between them about the future of public services as a vehicle for post-war reconstruction, economic growth and social stability.

Public World and Unions in Europe and Africa

In the 1990s, Public World was engaged with NALEDI, the research unit of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), to assist their attempts to reach agreement with government around public service development and reform, under the auspices of the National Framework Agreement.

For the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), we carried out a project to promote worker-led approaches to modernisation of local public services, and to encourage employers to value and mobilise employees' knowledge in reorganising their systems of service delivery and human resource management. Our report (see our Publications page), which included detailed case studies from seven EU countries, was published in 1996.

Also for EPSU, and jointly with the University of Cranfield Business School, Public World organised European Commission-financed research into Modernisation of National Government Administrations in the European Union. Our 155-page report, including detailed case studies from seven countries, was published in 1998. It deals with impacts on employment, remuneration, conditions of employment, ethical frameworks, equal opportunities (race and gender dimensions), and career development.

Public World and Railway Privatisation

Public World has carried out two major research projects for the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) about the impact of railways privatisation on services, employment and workers' rights.

One looked at Africa with case studies from Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, while the other looks at more recent Latin American experience with evidence from several countries and a more detailed case study of Brazil.