How amenable is public enterprise to the implementation of national distributional policies? This is the question explored here by Professor Ramanadham. Originally published in 1988, he examines the various channels through which distributional effects take place through their operations, and draws attention to the implicit conflicts of interest among consumers, workers, and tax payers. He focuses on the problems associated with the use of public enterprises as instruments of distributional goals and examines the question of whether direct budgetary measures on the part of government would be preferable. There are detailed analyses of the distributional implications of wage incomes, prices, and surpluses in the public enterprise sector. Finally, the author comments from the distributional angle on the results of privatization. Here is a detailed study of the way in which public enterprise may be employed as an instrument of redistribution of income and wealth, also of the extent to which this is feasible.

Countries vary systematically with respect to the incentives of politicians to provide broad public goods, and to reduce poverty. Even in developing countries that are democracies, politicians often have incentives to divert resources to political rents, and to private transfers that benefit a few citizens at the expense of many. These distortions can be traced to imperfections in political markets, that are greater in some countries than in others. The authors review the theory, and evidence on the impact of incomplete information of voters, the lack of credibility of political promises, and social polarization on political incentives. They argue that the effects of these imperfections are large, but that their implications are insufficiently integrated into the design of policy reforms aimed at improving the provision of public goods, and reducing poverty.

In many parts of the world public enterprise is in crisis. Privatisation programmes are being widely touted as the solution to many of the problems of inefficiency and slow rates of growth associated with public enterprise. This book discusses the underlying causes of those problems, and critically examines some of the solutions that have been adopted. Its geographical coverage is wide and it cuts across the political spectrum. The experiences of countries in four continents are analysed in an attempt to shed light on current dilemmas. Recurrent patterns are found; problems are frequently seen to be political as much as economic, and bureaucracy and administrative confusion is often found to be at the heart of poor financial performance.Yet since political aims, economic environment, and administrative and managerial capabilities vary so widely, universal solutions remain more difficult to define than universal problems.

Routledge Library Editions: Public Enterprise and Privatization (14 Volume set) presents titles, originally published between 1933 and 1991. The set covers both public enterprise and privatization and the impact they have had in the developed and developing world from the start of the twentieth century through to the early 1990s. Written by key figures in the field, it will be of particular interest to students of business, economics, finance and industry.

Prior to the COVID-19 shock, the key challenge facing policymakers in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia region was how to generate strong, sustainable, job-rich, inclusive growth. Post-COVID-19, this challenge has only grown given the additional reduction in fiscal space due to the crisis and the increased need to support the recovery. The sizable state-owned enterprise (SOE) footprint in the region, together with its cost to the government, call for revisiting the SOE sector to help open fiscal space and look for growth opportunities.

Introduction to Business covers the scope and sequence of most introductory business courses. The book provides detailed explanations in the context of core themes such as customer satisfaction, ethics, entrepreneurship, global business, and managing change. Introduction to Business includes hundreds of current business examples from a range of industries and geographic locations, which feature a variety of individuals. The outcome is a balanced approach to the theory and application of business concepts, with attention to the knowledge and skills necessary for student success in this course and beyond. This is an adaptation of Introduction to Business by OpenStax. You can access the textbook as pdf for free at openstax.org. Minor editorial changes were made to ensure a better ebook reading experience. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This is the third in a group of three papers dealing with various aspects of Fund-supported adjustment programs.