This paper sheds some light about privatisation in utilities. An empirical analysis based on sales in the electricity sector in 38 countries for the period 1977-97 shows that regulation is a crucial institutional variable in privatisation. Not only does it allow governments to increase the pace...

AbstractThe following sections are included:IntroductionBackgroundSWF Investment and Political RiskPecunia Non Olet? Market Failure ConsiderationsThe Current Regulatory Setting on Foreign Sovereign Investment: A Sketch From the US and European PerspectiveToward a “Smart” Regulatory Framework...

We construct a comprehensive panel data of 96 publicly traded European utilities over the period 1994-2005 in order to study the relationship between the capital structure of regulated firms, regulated prices, and investments, and examine if and how this interaction is affected by ownership...

Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) are key actors in the global financial landscape of the twenty-first century. According to the OECD, at the peak of the global financial crisis, government driven international M&A reached US$120 billion, or 20% of the total international M&A. This dropped...

We study the effect of state ownership on the market-to-book ratios of publicly traded European utilities observed from 1994 to 2005. We find that when the company is subject to independent regulation, state ownership is positively associated with firm value. This effect is strong and...