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The “Privatization Barometer – PB” born as a joint project by Fondazione IRI (liquidated at the end of 2008) and Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei. Its goal is to provide academics, researchers, financial analyst, institutional investors, international…

The “Privatization Barometer – PB” born as a joint project by Fondazione IRI (liquidated at the end of 2008) and Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei. Its goal is to provide academics, researchers, financial analyst, institutional investors, international agencies, policy-makers and media operators with a focal point on privatisation issues managed by an independent source. The contents of PB are currently organized in eight sections:

  • Atlas – in-depth country reports on privatization process News – a real-time coverage 24h a day on privatization news operated by Dow Jones News
  • Database – a half-yearly updated dataset of privatization transactions
  • Newsletter – a semi-annual report on privatization activity
  • Index – privatization price index
  • Archive – an e-library of selected articles and working papers
  • Events – a section dedicated to conferences, seminars and workshop organized by PB
  • UPP – a section dedicated to the concluded European project “UPP – Understanding Privatisation Policy: Political Economy and Welfare Effects”

The aim was to create the first Internet portal dedicated to privatisation process in the enlarged Europe and to establish an open forum on privatization choices and consequences strongly based on research outputs. Privatization is one of the main events of the economic history of the last decades with important consequences on firms, social welfare, markets and its record to date is impressive, both in developed and developing economies. After several years of consistent research, FEEM has gained a strong reputation in privatization studies and is widely considered one the most credible source of data and information at the global level. The site was launched in July 2004 and its content is available for free to registered users. PB has also become the official provider of privatisation data to OECD and the World Bank. 
Even though the foreseeable future may well see a slowdown in the process, due to the uncertain environment, FEEM believes that this will just be a temporary reversal of a long run process that may gain further momentum when the state of the economy improves.