U.S. Public Education Increasingly Drawing Attention From Private Philanthropy

The Broad Foundation, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization established in 1967 by billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad and his wife, Edythe, announced Thursday that it would donate $100 million to Yale University. But the donation will be directed to training leaders in the realm of public education, from kindergarten to high school (K-12). The $100-million donation will help the Yale School of Management create a master’s degree program, free to students who aspire to lead in America’s public school systems in areas of management, public health, law, child development, policy, criminal…

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After roads, tailwinds favour private sector investment in airports

Recently, Zurich Airports International AG won the bid to develop and operate the Jewar airport near Delhi for 40 years. The Swiss firm’s bid to share revenue of ₹400.97 per passenger with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) beat competition by a wide margin. But keen participation by leading business firms such as Adani Enterprises Ltd, Delhi International Airports (GMR Group) and international firm Anchorage Infrastructure Investments Ltd shows the rising private sector interest in airports. Naveen Kumar Saini/Mint This follows the recent deal by Tata group with Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC…

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Private health firm loses NHS treatment centre contract

 The treatment centre contract has been awarded to Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trust. Photograph: Will Oliver/EPA A private health firm has lost one of the biggest and longest-running contracts to treat NHS patients, in a significant blow to the creeping privatisation of care. Circle is losing the contract it has held for 11 years to run the Nottingham NHS Treatment Centre, which provides 240,000 operations and checkups a year. Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trust (NUH) has been handed a £320m contract to run the centre for the next five years after a bitter legal…

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Private investment in infrastructure must go up

In addition to financial sector reforms, funding infrastructure through private sector participation needs reforms in the contracting mechanism.(AFP) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) manifesto promises to spend Rs 100 lakh crore on infrastructure in the next five years. This can only happen if there is an increase in private participation, for which India needs to undertake financial sector reforms that encourage the creation of a pool of domestic long-term savings to be invested in infrastructure projects. The scale of investment targeted is more than what can be done through government…

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Subdued animal spirit: Private investment slumbers as uncertainties fester

Gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) grew strongly at 8.3% and 9.3% in FY17 and FY18 respectively, and is projected to accelerate at 12.2% in FY19. The recent GDP revisions for 2016-17 and 2017-18 would have surprised even an ardent supporter/admirer of the Central Statistical Office (CSO). Unwittingly though, it has made the lives of doubters like this author a lot easier! For, those who repeatedly pointed to the dissonance between these GDP estimates and other lead indicators can now assert with reasonable certainty that the Indian economy has two parallel…

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Investcorp acquires IDFC’s private equity, realty investment management business

Mumbai: The US-based alternative investment manager InvestcorpNSE 0.00 % has acquired IDFCNSE -1.02 % Group’s private equity and real estate investment management business and plans to incrementally raise $50 million towards IDFC’s existing fourth fund. The incremental capital, along with the uninvested pool in the fourth fund, will be invested in consumption-driven companies in India, a senior company executive said. HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh has joined the global advisory board of Investcorp. “Once the acquisition is complete on January 31, we will use the greenshoe option and raise another $50 million in the fourth fund. This incremental capital,…

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