When Washington takes an ownership stake in a private company, what happens next, and how easily does it give up that control?
Today, the Cato Institute is launching Restoring Free Enterprise, a new project and website examining Washington’s unprecedented ownership stakes in dozens of private companies across numerous industries. Among the new analyses are a government ownership dashboard tracking every deal announced by the U.S. government to acquire an equity stake in a private U.S. company, policy alternatives to federal ownership of companies, and a collection of essays examining government ownership, industrial policy, and the role of the state in private business.
The essay collection covers issues that may be useful for your coverage, such as:
- Government ownership and equity stakes: Amtrak, TARP’s equity stakes, and what it means for a business to be truly private.
- Industrial policy and executive power: The Defense Production Act and the Trump administration’s pressure on allies to fund investments.
- Lessons from abroad: Markets versus government direction in South Korea’s economic rise and Sweden’s experience with state ownership.
Scott Lincicome’s introductory essay frames the broader challenges for American free enterprise in a world of ever-expanding government ownership. More essays will be added to the collection in the coming weeks.
Please contact Madison to request an interview on this topic: mmiller@cato.org.