Corporate governance in state-owned enterprises. A systematic literature review: an international perspective

Abstract

Abstract Background The state sector continues to play a significant role in the development of the global economy. Proper corporate governance is crucial to ensure the positive contribution of state-owned enterprises to the efficiency of the economy and its competitiveness. Despite the increasing importance of state-owned enterprises for the development of global gross domestic product and the quality of public services provided, research on corporate governance in state-owned enterprises is not widely represented in the world literature. Research aims This article provides a bibliographic analysis of the existing scientific work on corporate governance in state-owned enterprises. The aim of the analysis is to systematise the scientific output in this field, to demonstrate the scale of interest in this subject among researchers, and to indicate the predominant directions of research, taking into account their geographical origin. Methodology This study uses a systematic literature review. Findings The results of the research show that the existing scientific work in this field is insignificant in relation to the number of state-owned enterprises operating worldwide and their importance for the development of the global economy. Research by dominant research groups from the point of view of geography has shown that there is a clear variation in the dominant direction of research on corporate governance in state-owned enterprises, which is an indication of the different interests of researchers in different geographic areas. Analysing the factors underlying the differentiation just described could provide an incentive for further empirical research in this area.