strategy
Reforming state-owned enterprises
Synonyms:
Managing public-interest companiesProviding sufficient enterprise in parastatals
Increasing efficiency of state-controlled enterprises
Restructuring public utilities
Corporatization of infrastructure
Description:
Restructuring public authorities, utilities and services, usually by whole or partial transfer to the private sector; usually combined with enabling private sector provision of public services (energy, water, public transport, etc). Context:
State-owned enterprises may include industrial and commercial firms, mines, utilities and transport companies, as well as financial intermediaries. The number of such enterprises has risen in many countries. They are distinguished from the rest of government because their revenue comes from the sale of goods and services and because they are self-accounting and have a separate legal identity. Conflicting objectives, insufficient autonomy, inadequate measures for judging performance, lack of incentives linked to performance, and bureaucratic rather than commercial management styles, have all prompted attempts at reform in both command and market style economies. Financial weaknesses in such enterprises, resulting from the failure of reform measures, are transmitted to other public and private firms. Increased efficiency in such enterprises typically requires internal improvements including better financial management, more careful inventory control and a balanced production line, although these do not resolve the wider problems of the relationship with government.Some state enterprises in developing countries have been able to operate as successful commercial ventures without burdening public finances. In most countries, however, they have drained budgetary resources, contributed to overall public sector deficits, weakened fiscal management and made negative contributions to value added. The degree of state ownership does not itself determine the performance of an enterprise. However a large portfolio of such enterprises can severely burden public and administrative and financial resources. Many governments in industrial, as well as developing countries, have halted and even reversed their earlier policies of extending public ownership.
Claim:
State-owned enterprises have tended to serve limited interests, have been inefficient and have often operated at a loss and thereby constituted a drain on resources available for development. Whether such enterprises are retained in the public sector or privatized, they should be forced to become more competitive by increasing their exposure to market forces. In the case of a divestiture programme, it is generally undesirable to continue providing protection and subsidies to the newly private enterprise, especially where the programme is part of a broader adjustment in trade and fiscal regimes. Broader:
Increasing efficiencyRestructuring companiesPrivatizing the public sectorGiving entrepreneurial assistanceStrengthening public finance policiesManaging public services Narrower:
Privatizing public utilitiesContracting out of public servicesLimiting subsidies to state-owned enterprisesImproving efficiency of government monopoliesEncouraging private provision of infrastructureControlling borrowing by state-owned enterprisesPrivatizing management of state-owned enterprisesRationalizing pricing policies of state-owned enterprisesImproving allocation of spending by state-owned enterprises Facilitates:
State capitalismState capitalismImproving level of national investmentFostering creative corporate competition Facilitated by:
Researching public sector reformEstablishing state-controlled enterprisesEliminating arrears among government agenciesReducing protection of state-owned enterprisesImproving financial reporting in the public sector Subjects:
Commerce → Business enterprisesCommerce → Property
Industry → Utilities
Government → Nation state
Government → Public
Management → Management
Management → Planning
Cybernetics → Cybernetics
Development → Reform
Type Classification:
C: Cross-sectoral strategies Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
