Structural adjustment and state-owned companies in The Netherlands

During the 1980s and 1990s, the public sector in the Netherlands has been subject to considerable change to adjust it to the demands of the market and increasingly greater international competition. This has resulted in the adoption of two techniques of organizational reform: one involving functional decentralization and the other corporatization leading, in several cases, to the partial or full divestment of the companies which have been formed. The corporatization and divestment initiatives are the particular focus of this discussion. It is acknowledged that significant results have been achieved, but there is still more to be done to enhance the overall performance of the public sector. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.