There has been a transformation before our collective eyes in the absolute balance of power between the nation-state and the transnational corporation. In today's global economy, the nation-state is a second order political power to the private corporate world.
Part of this transition was nurtured by privatization campaigns where state assets, intended to provide certain state functions, were transferred to the corporate world. The corporation not only obtained the asset (e.g., train lines) but also the public expectation that the corporation would provide, or be part of the provision of, a given service (i.e., a workable transportation system).
History has shown that significant changes in governance are not necessarily quick or painless. The reaction within corporations to this transition in governance has been divided. On the one hand there is enthusiasm for commercialization of state functions for private profit, but there is also ambivalence about assuming the new role of successor to the nation-state in "traditional" public policy issues.
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