Unlocking the myths of size expansion in China's large state‐owned enterprises: Theory and evidence

Abstract

This research proposes a theoretical framework to illustrate the incentives behind the exponential growth in asset size of China's large state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the past few decades, with results presenting three types of incentives that led to their expansion. (1) The business empire building effect. (2) The state predatory effect. (3) A state benevolent effect in which the state is also concerned with "social welfare" in terms of increasing labor hiring through a larger asset size of SOEs for the