Testing Limits to Policy Reversal: Evidence from Indian Privatizations
47 Pages Posted: 24 Sep 2007 Last revised: 10 Sep 2010
Date Written: September 2007
Abstract
We examine the effect of regime change on privatization using the 2004 election surprise in India. The pro-reform BJP was unexpectedly defeated by a less reformist coalition. Stock prices of government-controlled companies that had been slated for definite privatization by the BJP dropped by 3.5 percent relative to private firms. Surprisingly, government-controlled companies that were only under study for possible privatization fell by 7.5 percent relative to private firms. We interpret this as evidence of investor belief of policy irreversibility, where reforms may reach a stage beyond which future regimes have difficulty reversing those policies. Further analysis suggests that layoffs, combined with the privatization announcement, served as a credible commitment to the government's privatization agenda.
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?
Recommended Papers
-
From State to Market: A Survey of Empirical Studies on Privatization
-
Enterprise Restructuring in Transition: A Quantitative Survey
By Simeon Djankov and Peter Murrell
-
Enterprise Restructuring in Transition: A Quantitative Survey
By Simeon Djankov and Peter Murrell
-
Russian Privatization and Corporate Governance: What Went Wrong?
By Bernard S. Black, Reinier Kraakman, ...
-
How Does Privatization Work? Evidence from the Russian Shops
By Nicholas Barberis, Maxim Boycko, ...
-
By Joseph P. H. Fan and T.j. Wong
-
By Enrico C. Perotti and Bruno Biais
