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state-owned enterprise
Sign in to saveAlso known as crown corporation, state-owned corporation, government owned corporation, state owned enterprise, state-owned company, state-owned entity, state enterprise, publicly owned corporation
legal entity controlled by a government to undertake commercial activities
~14 min read
Encyclopedic overview
A state-owned enterprise (SOE), also known as government-owned enterprise, is a business entity created or owned by a central or local government, either through an executive order or legislation. SOEs aim to generate profit for the government, prevent private sector monopolies, provide goods at lower prices, implement government policies, or serve remote areas where private businesses are scarce. The government typically holds full or majority ownership and oversees operations. SOEs have a distinct legal structure, with financial and developmental goals, like making services more accessible while earning profit (such as a state railway). They can be considered as government-affiliated entities designed to meet socialist objectives.
Terminology
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “state-owned enterprise” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.