David Hall

Biography:

David Hall is director of the Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU) in the Business School, University of Greenwich, London.  David researches and teaches the politics and economics of public services, public finance and privatisation. David has special expertise in the sectors of water, energy, waste management, and healthcare. Before becoming director of PSIRU, David worked for over 25 years in teaching and research in public services, privatisation, and industrial relations for colleges, research institutions, and trade union research units.

Responsibilities within the university:

Teaching and administrative activities

As Director of PSIRU David is responsible for the research programme and funding of PSIRU, one of the largest research units in the University of Greenwich Business School.

David is joint leader of post-graduate courses on Sustainable Investment and Trade, and regulatory Institutions of the World Economy, and supervises undergraduate and masters’ degree dissertations.

David supervises two PHD students, Jenny Nguyen and Yasaman Sarabi. David has supervised a successful PhD, and acted as an internal PhD examiner in the University of Greenwich and as an external examiner for a PhD at Loughborough.

Current research:

On-going research includes: the economic and social consequences of privatisation and liberalisation; the history of public services; trends in privatisation and remunicipalisation; the political economy of public spending and taxation; the effects of public services on equality;  the impact of the policy conditions of international financial institutions and the EU on public services;  the impact of trade liberalisation, WTO rules, and EU and other internal market rules on public services; the relative efficiency of public and private organisations;  multinational company and private equity strategies;  PPPs;  corruption; the role of campaigns and social movements; regulatory and corporate trends in the water, energy, waste management, and healthcare sectors. In all subjects his research covers transition and developing countries, Europe, other OECD countries, and specific countries, including the UK.

External activities:

David Hall was the coordinator of the Watertime project, an EC-funded 3-year research project on decision-making on water in 29 cities in Europe, involving a group of five universities and research institutes (see www.watertime.net). David led a 2-year research project on corruption, funded by the Wallace Global Foundation.  David was a partner in the EC-funded PRESOM project, a 3-year project studying the relations between the European social model and privatisation. He has provided policy advice to and/or conducted applied research for many organisations, including the European Commission; Oxfam;  World Development Movement; War on Want; Public Services International; EPSU; UNISON; CUPE; Enérgeia Foundation.

David has been a guest lecturer at the World Bank infrastructure division, and has also been invited to address meetings of the United Nations department of economic and social affairs (UNDESA), the OECD, UNCTAD, the ILO, the European Parliament, the EU Economic and Social Committee, the Belgian parliament, and the UK Department for International Development (DFID), and has been an expert witness at the constitutional court of Indonesia. David has been an invited speaker at seminars and conferences at many universities and research institutes around the world, in Aalborg, Athens, Bantung, Berkeley, Berlin, Bonn, Bradford, Brussels, Bologna, Cambridge, London (UCL), Lima, Loughborough, Madrid, Milan, Munich, New York (Cornell), Newcastle, Oxford, Paris, Sheffield, St Petersburg, Tampere, Uppsala and Wellington. David has spoken at many civil society and trade union meetings, in over 40 countries, on all continents.

Recent publications:

His publications include articles in academic journals, book chapters, numerous PSIRU reports, and two books. He was guest editor of a special issue of Utilities Policy in 2007.

Selected recent journal articles and book chapters:

(http://gala.gre.ac.uk/view/creators/Hall=3ADavid=3A=3A.html)

Fine, B. and Hall, D. (2012) Terrains of Neoliberalism: Constraints and Opportunities for Alternative Models of Service Delivery In McDonald, D. and Ruiters, G. (eds.) Alternatives to Privatization Routledge

Hall, D. (Forthcoming 2013) Electricity liberalisation in developing countries Progress in Development Studies

Hall, D. (2011) Contesting public finance? In Bance, P. And Bernier, L. (eds.) Contemporary Crisis and Renewal of Public Action Peter Lang

Hall, D. (2004) Private and public interests in water and energy Natural Resources Forum, 2004

Hall, D. and Lobina, E. (2013) The Birth, Growth and Decline of Multinational Water Companies. In Katko, T., Juuti, P. and Schwartz, K. (eds) Water Services Management and Governance IWA Publishing

Hall, D. and Lobina, E. (2009) “Water Privatization: The International Experience” in ‘Critical Essays on the Privatisation Experience’.  International Papers in Political Economy ed. Arestis, P. and Sawyer, Macmillan, M. 2008

Hall, D. and Lobina, E. (2007) International actors and multinational water company strategies in Europe, 1990-2003 Utilities Policy 2007

Hall, D. and Lobina, E. (2007) Profitability and the poor: Corporate strategies, innovation and sustainability Geoforum, 38(5), pp. 772-785

Hall, D., Lobina, E. and Terhorst, P. (Forthcoming 2013) Re-municipalisation in the early 21st century: water in France and energy in Germany International Review of Applied Economics.

Selected PSIRU reports

Lethbridge, J. and Hall, D. (2008) Municipal services: organisations, companies and alternatives PSIRU report

Hall, D. (2012) Business as usual - international promotion of PPPs in North Africa PSIRU report

Hall, D. (2012) Conflicts, companies, human rights and water - A critical review of local corporate practices and global corporate initiatives PSIRU report

Hall, D. (2012) Corruption and public services PSIRU report

Hall, D. (2012) Financing water and sanitation: public realities PSIRU report

Hall, D. (2012) Utterly uncompetitive - the home lands of eternal water privatisations PSIRU report

Hall, D. (2011) Water, electricity and the political context in Arab countries October 2011 PSIRU report

Hall, D. (2010) Challenges to Slovakia and Poland health policy decisions PSIRU report

Hall, D. (2010) More public rescues for more private finance failures [on PPPs] PSIRU report

Hall, D. (2010) Public disaster and private gain - The proposed privatisation of electricity in Nigeria PSIRU report

Hall, D. (2010) The impact of the economic crisis on public sector pay PSIRU report

Hall, D. (2010) Why we need public spending PSIRU report

Hall, D. (2009) Private equity, productivity and earnings - PSIRU report

Hall, D. (2008) Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the EU - a critical appraisal - Nov 2008 PSIRU report

Hall, D. (2007) Electrifying Africa PSIRU report

Hall, D. and Lobina, E. (2010) The past, present and future of finance for investment in water systems PSIRU report

Hall, D. and Lobina, E. (2008) Sewerage Works PSIRU report

Hall, D., Lobina, E. and Terhorst, P. (2012) Re-municipalisation in Europe PSIRU report

Hall, D. and Nguyen, T.A. (2012) Waste management in Europe: companies, structure and employment PSIRU report