Privatizations and corporate governance in France

Authors

  • A. GOLDSTEIN

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13133/2037-3643/10619

Keywords:

Management Theory & Techniques, France, Management, Privatisation

Abstract

From the middle of 1993, the French government has followed an ambitious privatisation programme. Nine major state-owned enterprises have been at least partially sold; other companies some of which are amongst the largest in France, will be sold in the next few years. An analysis is undertaken of how the post-1993 privatisations have related to changes in both the mechanisms of corporate governance and the market for corporate control. Privatisation in France is found to be tactically motivated rather than being spurred by efficiency. Privatisation opened more political than economic opportunities, and corporate governance stayed in stable entities to protect managers from take-over threats. However, a move that will allow organisational competition between Anglo-Saxon and German-Japanese mechanisms may further improve governance of large French corporations.

 

JEL Codes: E00, G34

References

BAUER, M. and B. BERTIN-MOUROT (1993), "Comment lea entreprises frangaises et allemandes sélectionnent-elles leurs dirigeants", Cadres-CFDT, January.

BERTERO, E. (1994), "The banking system, financial markets, and capital structure: some new evidence from France", Oxford Review of Economic Policy, vol. 10, no. 4.

BIANCO, M. and A. GOLDSTEIN (1995), "Investitori istituzionali e corporate governance in Europa: assetti proprietari e conflitti d'interesse", Rapporto IRS sul mercato azionario, Il Sole-24 Ore, Milano.

BISHOP, M., J. KAY and C. MAYER (1994), "Introduction: privatization in performance", in M. Bishop, J. Kay and C. Mayer eds, Privatization and Economic Performance, Oxford University Press, Oxford-New York.

BIZAGUET, A. (1993), "Passé récent et avenir des entreprises publiques frangaises", La revue du Tresor, December.

CARTELIER, L. (1992), "L'expérience frangaise de privatisation: bilan et enseignements", Revue internationale de droit economique, no. 3.

CHABANAS, N. and E. VERGEAU (1993), "Les entreprises publiques fin 1991", INSEE Première, no. 253.

CHABANAS, N. and E. VERGEAU (1993), "L'impact des privatisations sur le secteur public", INSEE Première, no. 290.

CHARKHAM, J. (1994), Keeping Good Company, Clarendon Press, Oxford.

CHERPITEL, M. (1994), "Actionnariat: l'offensive des institutionnels", Banque, no. 554.

CLES (1993), L'impatto delle privatizzazioni in Francia, Germania e Regno Unito, Roma.

DURUPTY, M. (1993), "La privatisation banalisée", L'actualite juridique - Droit administratif, no. 10.

ESTRIN, S. and V. PÉROTIN (1991), "Does ownership always matter?", International Journal of Industrial Organization, vol. 9, no. 1.

FANTO, J. (1995), "The transformation of French corporate governance and United States institutional investors", Brooklyn Journal of International Law, vol. 21, no. 1.

FEIGENBAUM, H. and J. HENIG (1994), "The political underpinnings of privatization: a typology", World Politics, vol. 46, no. 2.

FRANKS, J. and C. MAYER (1990), "Capital markets and corporate control: a study of France, Germany and the UK", Economic Policy, no. 10.

GOLDSTEIN, A. and G. NICOLETIT (1995), "Italian privatisations in international perspec-tive", Working Paper Econpubblica, no. 33, Università Bocconi, Milano.

HIRSCHMAN, A. (1970), Exit, Voice, and Loyalty, Harvard University Press, Cam-bridge.

JENKINSON, T. and C. MAYER (1988), "The privatisation process in France and the U.K.", European Economic Review, vol. 32, no. 4.

KREMP, E. (1995), "Restructurations et rentabilité économique dans l'industrie frangaise de 1985 à 1992", Economie et Prevision, no. 120.

MORIN, F. (1994), "Les trois poles du coeur financier", Le Monde, March 8.

MORIN, F. (1996), "Privatisation et &volution des pouvoirs: le modèle frangais du corporate governance", Revue Economique, vol. 47, no. 3.

OECD (various years), Economic Survey of France, Paris.

OECD (1995), Communications Outlook, Paris.

OECD (1995), "Structural changes in financial markets and implications for corporate governance", Paris.

OECD (1995), "Framework conditions for industry project: corporate governance environments in OECD countries", Paris.

PENSIER, G. (1994), "L'actionnariat populaire", Les notes bleus de Bercy, no. 43.

PESTIEAU, P. and H. TULKENS (1993), "Assessing and explaining the performance of public enterprises", Finanz Archiv, Bd. 50, Nr 3.

PROWSE, S. (1994), "Corporate governance in an international perspective", BIS Economic Paper, no. 41.

RAJAN, R. and L. ZINGALES (1995), "What do we know about capital structure? Some evidence from international data", Journal of Finance, vol. 50, no. 5.

ROE, M. (1994), Strong Managers, Weak Owners, Princeton University Press, Princeton.

ROE, M. (1996), "Chaos and evolution in law and economics", Harvard Law Review, vol. 109, no. 3.

SVARTZ, D. (1985), "French interlocking directorships: financial and industrial groups", in F. Stokman, R. Ziegler and J. Scott eds, Networks of Corporate Power, Polity Press, Cambridge.

THosots, P. (1994), "Les deux cents `numéro un'", Cadres-CFDT, March. UNCTAD (1994), World Investment Report, Geneva.

VICKERS, J. and G. YARROW (1991), "Economic perspectives on privatization", Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 5, no. 2.

Downloads

Published

2013-10-20

How to Cite

GOLDSTEIN, A. (2013). Privatizations and corporate governance in France. PSL Quarterly Review, 49(199). https://doi.org/10.13133/2037-3643/10619

Issue

Section

Editorial