ABSTRACT
Western European firms are most likely to be widely held (36.93%) or family controlled (44.29%).Widely held firms are especially important in the UK and Ireland, while family control is more important in continental Europe. Widely held firms are more important for financial and large firms, while families are more important for non financial and small firms. In certain countries, widely held financial institutions also control a significant proportion of firms, especially financial firms. In some countries of continental Europe, the State also controls a significant proportion of firms, especially the largest. Widely held corporations control few firms.
