| Abstract: | This paper examines the relationship between trade liberalization and the probability of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) being decentralized. We find that tariff cuts for inputs significantly lower the probability of a SOE being decentralized, whereas tariff cuts for outputs raise this probability. We also find that as the distance from a SOE to its overseeing government increases, the effects of input and output tariff cuts on the probability of SOEs decentralization become stronger. Our empirical results are consistent with a simple model in which local governments try to balance the costs of supervising SOEs against the profits extracted from SOEs. |
