A bit of a sideline to the discussion about the public sector:

One thing that came up a bit today was the potential or really need for the public sector to partner with the private sector in order to take advantage of technologies and the other resources that the private sector offers. On the other side of the coin, companies want to invest in the public sector, and areas like research and education to build up the pipeline of both technologies and people that will be available to their companies.

I thought it was interesting to note the recent gift of $50 million by Tata to Harvard (granted, not public, but it is education), in support of its business school and specifically the executive education programs. As investments go back and forth between companies and schools and the public sector, the boundaries of each start to blur. I wonder what the impact or influence of such investments will be on the goals and strategic direction of educational institutions like Harvard (or public institutions, both from education all the way to municipalites).

http://www.pr-inside.com/harvard-business-school-receives-r2179056.htm