The new institutional economics of privatising veterinary services in Africa

The authors review a number of critical issues in the structural reform of animal health services for both small and non-commercial livestock producer s in Africa a nd highlight several problems that others concerned with the privatisation of this service area have tended to neglect. Most notably, at tention is called to the following: a) the need to retain a central role for paraprofessionals in the new deliv ery system b) the important and problematic relationship between the veterinary and pa raveterinary professions c) the importance of developing state contracting procedures for assisting the private delivery of animal health services that will avoid the problems of local monopoly d) the central role that professionalism will have to play in this area, if collective goods and the public interest are to be served.