Towards New Arrangements for State Ownership in the Middle East and North Africa
By: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Publisher: OECD Publishing
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Paris
Language: eng
Format: [electronic resource] /
Number of pages: 175
ISBN-13: 9789264169111
Subjects: Governance; Industry and Services
Description: The role of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the Middle East and North African economies  (MENA) has historically been and remains significant in terms of their contribution to the economic value added, employment and the provision of vital services. State-owned enterprises operate across a wide range of sectors in the region - hydrocarbons, banking, construction – but also in network industries. Despite the privatisations carried out during the 1980-1990s, the role of the state in Arab economies has not declined and in many ways have indeed increased, reflecting the growth of oil and gas SOEs, sovereign wealth funds and infrastructure development projects, often carried out with the involvement of the state. This publication seeks to provide insight into the varied and rich experience in SOE reform in the region over the past decade, highlighting reform initiatives undertaken at national and country specific levels. It is unique in highlighting the challenges faced by policymakers in reforming the governance of regional SOEs
Table of contents: title: Foreword; title: Executive Summary; title: Priorities for improving governance and performance of state-owned enterprises in the Middle East and North Africa; title: The Arab Spring emphasises better corporate governance of state-owned enterprises; title: How the GCC did it: formal and informal governance of successful public enterprise in the Gulf Co-operation Council countries; title: State-owned enterprises in Kuwait; title: Transparency of Egypt's public-private joint ventures; title: Corporate governance of state-owned enterprises in Morocco.