Public Services and Citizenship in European Law: Public and Labour Law Perspectives

The operation of public services at both domestic and European levels is becoming a subject of considerable interest to researchers and policy makers alike. This book examines the economic and political implications of public services alongside a detailed analysis of their legal impact. Through this analysis, a new concept of constitutional citizenship is identified; a concept which would give consumers, as well as employees, new rights. The book also examines the new doctrine of services of general economic interest, as enshrined in the Amsterdam Treaty, and the impact it will have on public services. The privatization of public services and the resulting impact on consumers is also dealt with.

1. Labour Law, Public Services and Citizenship - New Domains, New Regimes? ; 2. Public Services, Citizenship and the State - the British Experience 1967-1997 ; 3. Public Service, Market Ideology and Citizenship ; 4. Public Service, Public Services, Public Functions and Guarantees of the Rights of Citizens: Unchanging Needs in a Changed Context ; 5. Citizenship, Fundamental Rights and Public Services ; 6. The Liberalization and Privatization of Public Utilities and the Protection of Users' Rights: the Perspective of Economic Theory ; 7. Universal Service Obligations and the Emergence of Citizens' Rights in European Telecommunications Liberalization ; 8. Citizenship and Public Services - Some Concluding Comments ; 9. Employment, Citizenship, the Services of General Public Interest ; 10. Labour Law - a Bridge between Public Services and Citizenship Rights