Objectives and roles of MENA state-owned enterprises

A number of arguments have traditionally been put forward as a justification for state ownership. This chapter provides an overview of these arguments, with a particular focus on how they have been employed in the MENA region. The objective of this section is to provide an overview of the sectoral distribution of MENA SOEs and to discuss the performance of SOEs operating in service, minerals, hydrocarbon and industrial sectors. A variable performance of SOEs operating in each of these sectors is noted and illustrated via company case studies. Factors leading to the positive performance of some SOEs operating in each of these sectors are highlighted and will be further explored in the concluding section of the report.