State ownership

State ownership, also called public ownership, government ownership or state property, are property interests that are vested in the state, rather than an individual or communities.[1]

State ownership may refer to state ownership or control of any asset, industry, or enterprise at any level, national, regional or local (municipal); or to common (full-community) non-state ownership. The process of bringing an asset into public ownership is called nationalization or municipalization.

In primarily market-based economies, government-owned assets are often managed and run like joint-stock corporations with the government owning a controlling stake of the shares. This model is often referred to as a state-owned enterprise. A government-owned corporation (sometimes state-owned enterprise, SOE) may resemble a not-for-profit corporation as it may not be required to generate a profit. Governments may also use profitable entities they own to support the general budget. SOE's may or may not be expected to operate in a broadly commercial manner and may or may not have monopolies in their areas of activity. The creation of a government-owned corporation (corporatization) from other forms of government ownership may be a precursor to privatization.

Contents

User rights

When ownership of a resource is vested in the state, or any branch of the state such as a local authority, individual use "rights" are based on the state's management policies, though these rights are not property rights as they are not transmissible. For example, if a family is allocated an apartment that is state owned, it will have been granted a tenancy of the apartment, which may be lifelong or inheritable, but the management and control rights are held by various government departments.[2]

Public property

Main article: public property

There is a distinction to be made between state ownership and public property. The former may refer to assets operated by a specific organization of the state used exclusively by their operators or that organization, such as a research laboratory, while public property refers to assets and resources that are available to the entire public for use, such as a public park (see public space).

By nation

In Norway

In 2011, the political editor of Dagens Næringsliv said that few nations resemble the Soviet Union, more than Norway, when it comes to State ownership.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Clarke, Alison; and Paul Kohler (2005). Property law: commentary and materials. Cambridge University Press. pp. 40. ISBN 0521614899, 9780521614894. http://www.google.com/books?id=JnzxTbFwdLMC&dq=%22public+property%22+property+theory&lr=&as_brr=3&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 
  2. ^ Clarke, Alison; and Paul Kohler (2005). Property law: commentary and materials. Cambridge University Press. pp. 40. ISBN 0521614899, 9780521614894. http://www.google.com/books?id=JnzxTbFwdLMC&dq=%22public+property%22+property+theory&lr=&as_brr=3&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 
  3. ^ http://www.dn.no/forsiden/kommentarer/article2287948.ece (translation of quote: Norway is not a Soviet state. But less than 12 years ago, the Swedish Minister of Commerce Björn Rosengren forgot to remove a microphone after a televised debate, and the Norwegian public could hear his characterization of Norway as the last Soviet state. Back then, it was about state ownership, and in that regard few nations still resemble the former Soviet, more than Norway.) "Norge er ikke en sovjetstat. Men det er likevel ikke mer enn 12 år siden den svenske næringsministeren Bjørn Rosengren glemte å ta av mikrofonen etter en tv-diskusjon, og hele landet fikk høre hvordan han karakteriserte Norge som den siste sovjetstaten. Da gjaldt det statlig eierskap, og på det området er det få land som minner mer om det gamle Sovjet enn Norge."

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