About this episode

Dr. Kate Bayliss discusses her book 'Privatising Humanity', which critically examines the impact of privatisation policies in Britain.

Privatising Humanity: How Our Essential Human Needs Became Financial Assets (Manchester UP, 2026) is the latest book from Dr Kate Bayliss, a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Economics at SOAS, University of London. Dr Bayliss’ excellent title, published with Manchester University Press, is a critical examination of the privatisation paradigm. In the book, Dr Bayliss specifically analyses the history, processes, political economy and outcomes of privatisation policies in Britain across three major economic sectors – that of water, energy, and housing. Infamously, Britain was arguably in the vanguard of a proliferation of privatisation policies in the 1980s, courtesy of then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a key proponent of the neoliberal revolution at this time. Privatisation was touted as a solution for increased efficiency, the creation of a shareholder society, and relieving taxpayer burdens. Dr Bayliss’ book, Privatising Humanity, is a crucial tool to understand how privatisation policies were applied, who benefited, and whether the outcomes lives up to these expectations. It is both an exceptionally detailed account of the web of interests that have profited…

More episodes of New Books in Economics

• J. W. Mason and Arjun Jayadev, "Against Money" (U Chicago Press, 2026) · July 19, 2026 · 1h 13m
• Elana Resnick, "Refusing Sustainability: Race and Environmentalism in a Changing Europe" (Stanford UP, 2025) · July 19, 2026 · 41 min
• Are Capitalism and Democracy Fundamentally Incompatible? A Conversation with Mordecai Kurz · July 9, 2026 · 1h 3m
• On “Turtling” Versus Being Primed for Possibilities · July 9, 2026 · 31 min
• Tyler Girard, "Financial Inclusion: How an Idea Became a Global Agenda" (Stanford UP, 2026) · July 4, 2026 · 40 min
• The Tin Man Model of Running a Company Is Rusty · July 2, 2026 · 26 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the New Books in Economics podcast page.