From the 1980s until the mid-1990s, privatisation was an important component of economic policy. Privatisation continued after 1997, although there have only been a handful of instances since then and they have often been referred to by other names. After 2010, interest in the policy as an economic tool revived, particularly with the privatisation of Royal Mail.
After defining ‘privatisation’, this paper presents a brief history of the policy. An analysis of the motivations behind the policy is followed by a discussion of the different methods of privatisation, including public flotations, management-led buyouts and private sales.