Employee ownership in enterprises in Africa and Asia

This paper examines wider employee share ownership in developing and newly industrializing countries with particular emphasis on Africa and Asia. The first section reviews the available evidence on the extent of wider employe e share ownership. The second identifies the key issues relating to the imp lementation of wider employee share ownership: the objectives for employee ownership, the financing of employees' stakes, the role of trade unions, em ployee participation in decisions and the life-cycle of employee ownership. It is suggested that attempts to develop employee ownership face similar, but more intense, problems as in advanced industrialized nations. A wide-ra nging research agenda is identified.