Dexter Whitfield

Dexter Whitfield is Adjunct Associate Professor at the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide.

He has a unique, extensive track record of research, policy analysis and strategic advice to public bodies, trade unions and community organisations (www.european-services-strategy.org.uk).

Dexter Whitfield seminar
Dexter gave a talk on ‘Capitalist dynamics reconfiguring the state: alternatives to privatising public services’ at The University of Nottingham on Wednesday 16 September 2015.

A recording of his talk from the event is available via the Centre for the Study of Social and Global Justice (CSSJG) website.

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Fingers in the PFI by Dexter Whitfield in Red Pepper, April 2013

'Public sector workers must work together to prevent privatisation' by Dexter Whitfield in The Guardian, 8th December 2011

The UK Social Policy Association has given Dexter their Award for Outstanding Contribution from a Non-Academic. This award celebrates his work in campaigning, research and advocacy for fairer UK state services over 40 years and, in particular, his defence of welfare services against privatisation and marketisation.

Select Committees recommend sharing PFI equity profits and criticise use of tax havens - Dexter Whitfield, ESSU

'This could lead to the private sector taking full control of NHS hospitals' by Dexter Whitfield in The Press , January 27th 2011.

<span style='font-size: 14px;'>Unmasking Austerity - ePUB</span>

Unmasking Austerity - ePUB
Opposition and Alternatives in Europe and North America
By Dexter Whitfield

Unmasking Austerity: Opposition and Alternatives in Europe and North America exposes how austerity policies have fuelled the fire of recession rather than stimulating growth. It identifies key lessons from organising and action against such policies, and urges a rethink of trade union, community and social movement strategies to overcome austerity. Unmasking Austerity examines the deeper causes of the financial crisis, and exposes the manufactured crises which are being used to dismantle hard-earned labour rights and the welfare state.

A radical alternative strategy includes economic stimulus, reconstruction of public services, faster fundamental reform of banks and financial markets, the elimination of corporate welfare that enriches big business, and strategies to increase labour's share of national income.

Reviews
Sebastian Schipper, Bauhaus-University Weimar - IJURR, Vol.39 Number 3 May 2015

Edward Dingwall - Red Pepper, September 2015

Public Services International - June 2014

Dave Putson - Independent Socialist Networks
May 2014

Price: £9.99

ISBN: 978 0 85124 8325

ePUB format

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<span style='font-size: 14px;'>The Mutation of Privatisation</span>

The Mutation of Privatisation
A critical assessment of new community
and individual rights
By Dexter Whitfield

New community rights to bid, buy, build, challenge and provide are enshrined in legislation and Coalition policy. The government is also extending existing individual rights to buy and to personal budgets. Considerable sums of public money are required to implement these policies and provide technical and legal support to voluntary and community organisations to exercise these rights.

This paper examines the objectives and scope of the new community rights and proposes a typology of public sector reform rights. It highlights the fundamental conflicts between 'rights', 'choice' and 'contract' cultures and localism. It assesses the conflicts and contradictions between community and commissioning, participation and empowerment, and the impact on democratic accountability, public finance, employment, equalities, the changing role of the state and community, voluntary and non-profit organisations.

Price: £8.95

32 pages | A4 pamphlet

ISBN: 978 0 85124 8172

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<span style='font-size: 14px;'>In Place of Austerity</span>

In Place of Austerity
Reconstructing the economy,
state and public services
By Dexter Whitfield

In Place of Austerity uncovers the realities of commissioning, localism, 'big society' empowerment fraud, and the systematic undermining of public services and the welfare state. It perceptively exposes the scale of disempowerment, dispossession and disinvestment, and analyses the dominant rationale, which continues to underpin the financialisation and personalisation of public services, accelerating marketisation and privatisation on an unprecedented scale.

This is a vitally important book for trade unions as well as for civil and community organisations. It provides a critical understanding of the issues and will aid their intervention in transformation and procurement of public services by forging strong alliances, taking industrial and community action, and advancing alternative policies.

In Place of Austerity sets out a framework for policies that reconstruct the economy, invest in local economies, create jobs and rebuild public infrastructure. In doing so, it charts a new role for the state and offers a radical new public service management strategy. It is an equally important resource for all public sector employees. Incisive, timely and detailed, it is original in its research and analysis.

A paper by Dexter:
A paper written for Studies in Social Services, Li Bing, Vice Professor, Department of Sociology, Beijing Administrative College, China. Social services are at the forefront of the continued neoliberal transformation of public services and the welfare state in the UK. The paper applies the In Place of Austerity framework to examine the changes in social services. Paper in English and Chinese.

Reviews:
Bryan Evans in Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation Volume 7, Number 1, Summer 2013

Colin Burgess in Campaign for Labour Party Democracy

Dave Putson, TUSC (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition)

An article by New Left Project on G4S makes positive reference to In Place of Austerity, August 2012

William Podmore - Amazon

Andy Morton for Chartist, March/April 2012

Clive Singer for Open Democracy, Jan 2012

Nick Grant for Socialist Review, Jan 2012

A short review from IIndependent Action

Price: £18.00

264 pages | Paperback

ISBN: 978 085124 7939

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<span style='font-size: 14px;'>Global Auction of Public Assets:</span>

Global Auction of Public Assets:
Public sector alternatives to the infrastructure market and Public Private Partnerships
By Dexter Whitfield

Public infrastructure in the 21st century is confronted with new challenges - adapting to climate change, meeting the economic, energy, water, transportation and social infrastructure needs of megacities in Asia, megaregions in North America and European city regions.

Public infrastructure provides basic human needs - homes, water, energy for light, heat and cooking; the transport of people, raw materials and goods by road, rail, sea and air; hospitals, schools, sports and cultural facilities; communications networks; facilities for the criminal justice system; and civic and governmental buildings for democratic governance, social and political activity.

Public infrastructure supports economic growth, increases productivity, generates employment, creates opportunities for the production and supply chains in construction and services, and improves community well-being.

Wider adoption of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and growth of the global infrastructure market, financed by investment funds and pension funds, could fuel a new era of public asset sales. Already, the refinancing and the sale of equity in PPP projects has led to the buying and selling of public hospitals, schools, prisons and roads, furthering exploitation and profiteering.

PPPs are promoted by the World Bank, IMF, development banks and via bilateral agreements in developing countries and the industrialised north. This is the first critical analysis which explores PPP programmes in the UK, France, Ireland, Germany, the US, Canada, Russia, Australia, China, India, Brazil and South Africa.

Yet over US$500bn of PPP projects have failed, have little democratic control or transparency, are costly, lack innovation and are approved on narrow value for money or fraudulent public sector comparators. PPPs are ultimately publicly financed, either directly by government or indirectly through user charges, fares and tolls.

The Guardianpublic article, 17th Jan 2011, on PPP equity sales.

Profiteering from public private partnerships
Dexter Whitfield, Guardian, 10 December 2009

Reviews:
Capital & Class 35.3 (2011) - Hugo Radice, University of Leeds, UK

International Journal of Governmental Financial Management Vol. X No. 2, 2010 - Stewart Smyth, Queen's University Managment School, Belfast

Privatising the Public Sector: Two books expose the defects of Public-Private Partnerships - Keith Reynolds, The CCPA Monitor, October 2010

New book challenges privatization claims - in CUPE, March 31st 2010

Selling off the family silver - Duncan Bowie, Chartist, March/April 2010

Public cost and private benefit - Michael Barratt Brown in Red Pepper, Feb 2010

Socialist Review - Nick Grant, January 2010

Truthout - Friday 15 January 2010, Op-Ed

Price: £18.00

380 pages | Paperback

ISBN: 978 0 85124 7731

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<span style='font-size: 14px;'>New Labour's Attack on Public Services</span>

New Labour's Attack on Public Services
Modernisation by Marketisation? How the commissioning, choice, competition and
contestability agenda threatens public services
and the welfare state.
By Dexter Whitfield

New Labour is creating markets in public services on an unprecedented scale. Privatisation inevitably follows marketisation, eroding democratic accountability and embedding business interests. Alternative policies and strategies must build on the support for democratic governance, social justice and the welfare state. As this timely book makes clear, action by alliances of trade unions, community organisations and civil society organisations is urgently required.

Read reviews by:
Mike Tolochko
Patrick Ainley
Labour Research
Keith Popple
Paul Walker

Price: £11.99

176 pages | ISBN: 978 0 85124 7151

5th Series Number 3

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Spokesman Books | Dexter Whitfield