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Priorities and sequencing in privatization: Evidence from Czech firm panel data

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Author Info

  • Gupta, Nandini
  • Ham, Jhon C.
  • Svejnar, Jan

Abstract

While privatization of state-owned enterprises has been one of the most important aspects of the economic transition from a centrally planned to a market system, no transition economy has privatized all its firms simultaneously. This raises the question of whether governments privatize firms strategically. In this paper we examine the determinants of the sequencing of privatization. To obtain testable predictions about the factors that may affect sequencing, we investigate the following competing government objectives: (i) Maximizing efficiency through resource allocation; (ii) maximizing public goodwill from the free transfers of shares to the public; (iii) minimizing political costs; (iv) maximizing efficiency through information gains; and (v) maximizing privatization revenues. Next, we use firm-level data from the Czech Republic to test the competing predictions about the sequencing of privatization. Consistent with the hypotheses of a government priority on revenues and public goodwill, we find strong evidence that more profitable firms were privatized first. The sequencing of privatization is also consistent with maximizing efficiency through information gains. Our results indicate that many empirical studies of the effects of privatization on firm performance suffer from a selection bias.

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Bibliographic Info

Article provided by Elsevier in its journal European Economic Review.

Volume (Year): 52 (2008)
Issue (Month): 2 (February)
Pages: 183-208

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Handle: RePEc:eee:eecrev:v:52:y:2008:i:2:p:183-208

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Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eer

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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Niklas Potrafke, 2010. "Labor market deregulation and globalization: empirical evidence from OECD countries," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer, vol. 146(3), pages 545-571, September.
  2. Sprenger, Carsten, 2011. "The choice of ownership structure: Evidence from Russian mass privatization," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 260-277, June.
  3. Adam Szentpeteri & Almos Telegdy, 2009. "Political Selection of Firms into Privatization Programs. Evidence from Romanian Comprehensive Data," IEHAS Discussion Papers 0916, Institute of Economics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
  4. Siddhartha G. Dastidar & Raymond Fisman & Tarun Khanna, 2007. "Testing Limits to Policy Reversal: Evidence from Indian Privatizations," NBER Working Papers 13427, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  5. Niklas Potrafke, 2010. "Does government ideology influence deregulation of product markets? Empirical evidence from OECD countries," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 143(1), pages 135-155, April.
  6. Nandini Gupta, 2010. "Selling family silver to pay the grocers bill? The case of privatization in India," Working Papers 2222, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, revised Oct 2010.
  7. Andersson, Fredrik & Jordahl, Henrik, 2011. "Outsourcing Public Services: Ownership, Competition, Quality and Contracting," Working Papers 2011:20, Lund University, Department of Economics.
  8. Christian Bjørnskov & Niklas Potrafke, 2009. "Political ideology and economic freedom across Canadian provinces," Working Papers CEB 09-054.RS, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
  9. Sweder van Wijnbergen & Tim Willems, 2012. "Learning Dynamics and the Support for Economic Reforms: Why Good News can be Bad," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 12-043/2, Tinbergen Institute.
  10. Christian Bjørnskov & Niklas Potrafke, 2011. "Politics and privatization in Central and Eastern Europe," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 19(2), pages 201-230, 04.

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