The Economic Effects of Privatization: Evidence from a Russian Panel

By using new panel survey data for 1992–1996 for a sample of firms in St. Petersburg we present evidence on the incidence of, changes in, and the effects of ownership and control that have occurred since privatization. We find that ownership changes have been quite fast and are heterogeneous. Ownership by insiders remains very strong and the importance of managerial insider ownership is growing. At the same time, in many firms, ownership by outsiders assumes increasing significance. The links between ownership and control are found to be quite complex.