ABSTRACT
The task of describing the relations between the government and public enterprises is not an easy one, particularly when the study treats a region in which, despite similarities, there are notable differences from one country to another. 1 The additional fact that there exists no widely accepted theoretical framework within which to order the empirical data serves only to further complicate matters. It is therefore difficult to avoid some description (or a formal analysis) of the types of structures that exist in each country. This paper, however, will attempt both a theoretical and an empirical analysis, keeping in mind the difficulties this synthesis presents.
