Government provided public services are frequently insufficiently focussed, going well beyond what is necessary to correct market failures. They often involve subsidies and cross-subsidies, residual monopolies and other obstacles to market entry.

The book outlines a roadmap for the redefinition of public service, its financing, the intensification of competition and the promotion of private sector involvement.

It includes a section on the postal service by Prof. Helmut Dietl, a section on hospitals by Prof. Robert Leu, and a chapter on public corporate governance written in collaboration with Prof. René L. Frey.