Change your identity and fit in: an empirical examination of ownership structure change, firm performance and local knowledge spillovers in China. Issue 1 (2nd January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhu, Shengjun; He, Canfei; Hu, Xuqian
• Is Part Of: Spatial economic analysis. Volume 15:Issue 1(2020)
• Page Start: 24
• Page End: 42
• Publication Date: 2020-01-02
• Subjects: knowledge spillovers -- relatedness -- regional institutions -- reform of state-owned enterprises -- firm performance; C12 -- O11 -- O53 -- R11; Space in economics -- Periodicals; Economic geography -- Periodicals; Space in economics -- Econometric models -- Periodicals; Urbanization -- Periodicals; Espace (Économie politique) -- Périodiques; Économétrie -- Périodiques; Géographie économique -- Périodiques; Économie industrielle -- Périodiques; Économie du travail -- Périodiques; Économie urbaine -- Périodiques; Politique économique -- Périodiques; Relations économiques internationales -- Périodiques; 330.9
• DOI: 10.1080/17421772.2019.1623418
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1742-1772

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This paper evaluates the effectiveness of China's reform of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by exploring if reformed SOEs have genuinely changed their identity and fitted in. Using a firm-level data set, we show that reformed SOEs have learned more from non-SOEs about how to promote economic performance. Empirical results also confirm that the effectiveness of the SOE reform is contingent on regional institutional contexts. Finally, this research contributes to the existing literature by bringing firm's financial performance to the forefront, and pointing out that knowledge spillovers derived from non-SOEs have impacts on the financial performance of reformed SOEs.