Publisher's Synopsis
Large and poorly-performing state-owned enterprises pose a problem for countries attempting to move away from government controls towards more liberal economic environments. Privatization is an unproven solution which is proving difficult to implement on a major scale. Intermediate solutions may, therefore, prove to the way forward. This book focuses on one of these - the state holding company.;It discusses the state holding company as a managerial form, which permits decentralized public enterprise management, and offers a framework for its analysis. Then, drawing upon the experience of both developed and developing countries, it examines the extent to which the indirect state ownership of public enterprises through holding companies can contribute to transition processes.;The book shows that the experience of countries like Italy, Egypt and Algeria has direct relevance for institutional structures evolving in the newly-transforming countries of Eastern Europe, which are struggling to find a balance between public enterprise ownership and efficiency. It provides an empirical examination of the state holding company in Italy, Egypt, Algeria and the new holding institutions of Eastern Europe.
