Centre for Economic and Regional Studies Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre of Excellence

The economic crisis of 2008–2009 signaled the end of the post-Washington consensus on restricting the role of the state in economic and development policy. Since then, state ownership and state intervention have increased worldwide. This volume offers a comparative analysis of the evolution of direct state intervention in the economy through state-owned companies in Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Turkey, Singapore, and Slovenia. Each case study includes substantial explanations of historical, cultural, and institutional contexts.

All the contributors point to the complex nature of the current revival in state economic interventions. The few models that are successful cannot hide the potential problems of excessive state intervention, linked to high levels of moral hazard. State-owned enterprises are primary tools of market and price manipulation for political purposes. They can be used outright for rent seeking. Yet state-owned enterprises can also play important roles in prestigious national initiatives, like major public works or high-profile social and sports events. The authors conclude that after the uniform application of democratic market economic principles, the 2000s witnessed a path-dependent departure from standard economic and political operating procedures in developed countries. ≻≻≻ further details

Contents

Introduction
Miklós Szanyi: The Revival of the State
Chapter 1.
Éva Voszka: Crisis Management in Europe: Nationalizations and Privatizations
Chapter 2.
Miklós Somai: The Changing Role of the State in France: from Crisis to Crisis
Chapter 3.
Zsófia Naszádos: The Involvement of the State in the German Economy
Chapter 4.
István Kőrösi: The Relationship between State and Private Enterprise in the Austrian Economy
Chapter 5.
Miklós Szanyi: Some Aspects of State Ownership in East-Central European Transition
Chapter 6.
Éva Ozsvald: Listed Companies with State Ownership. The Case of Poland
Chapter 7.
Miklós Somai: The Changing Role of the State in Slovenia: Privatizations and Banks´ consolidations
Chapter 8.
Miklós Szanyi: The Role of State Ownership in and after Hungary´s Transition to Market Economy
Chapter 9.
Judit Ricz: The Changing Role of the State in Development in Emerging Economies: The Developmental State Perspective
Chapter 10.
Katalin Völgyi: A Successful Model of State Capitalism: Singapore
Chapter 11.
Judit Ricz: Strong State Influence in the Brazilian Economy: Continuity or Change?
Chapter 12.
Tamás Szigetvári: The Changing Role of the State in the Turkish Economy