Workshop

Port Privatisation: The Asia Pacific Experience

Ports are central to the globalisation of Asia-Pacific economies and their access to international logistics networks. Since the 1980s, governments in the region have encouraged private sector participation in the ports industry. This has ranged from privatised management through contracts, leasing or concessions, to own-operate and build-own-transfer schemes, to complete privatisation. The recent controversy over Dubai Ports takeover of P & O’s US operations suggests, however, that private sector participation may be limited by political and security considerations. The time is ripe for a detailed evaluation of the outcomes of deregulation and port privatisation in the rapidly growing Asia-Pacific Region with special attention to the effectiveness of regulatory frameworks and planning processes, sustainability, intermodal integration, environmental protection and maritime security. This workshop addresses such key questions as: What effects have privatisation reforms had on the long run allocative and productive efficiency of ports? How has privatisation affected the effectiveness of regulatory frameworks and planning processes? What impact has privatisation had on intermodality and the emergence of integrated supply chains? What, if any, are the implications of the ‘war on terror’ for port privatisation?

Program

Presentations from the Workshop are available below. The views presented in the presentations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Asia Research Centre or Murdoch University. These documents are considered draft publications for critical comments by colleagues and will generally be expected to be published elsewhere in a more polished form after a period of critical engagement and revision. Comments on papers should be directed to the author(s).

© Copyright is held by the author(s) of each presentation: No part of any of these publications may be republished, reprinted or reproduced in any form without the permission of the paper’s author(s).