Closely held companies (those with the potential to go public, family firms, partnerships and private equity) have particular governance problems. This book examines what constitutes good governance in these companies, how control is gained, and how the closely held firm can to stimulate growth and extend innovation.

Studies of corporate governance traditionally focus on the governance problems of large publicly held firms, and policymakers'recommendations often focus on such firms. However most small firms, and in many countries, even many large companies, are closely held. This book provides a comprehensive account of closely held businesses and their particular governance problems. It explores current discussions and reforms in Europe, the United States, and Asia providing a state of the art account of the law and the economics. . Closely held firms encompass a vast range, from corporations with the potential to go public through family-owned firms, group-owned firms, private equity and hedge funds, to joint ventures and unlisted mass-privatized corporations with a relatively high number of shareholders. The governance of closely held companies has traditionally been concerned with protecting investors and creditors from managerial opportunism. However, the virtual elimination of the distinction between partnerships and corporations means that an effective legal governance framework must also offer mechanisms to protect shareholders from the misconduct of other shareholders. This volume examines policy and economic measurements to develop a framework for understanding what constitutes good governance in closely held companies. The authors examine how control is gained in the various types of closely held firms and explore the mechanisms that contribute to the development of a modern and efficient governance framework for these companies. The book concludes with an exploration of how the closely held firm is likely to stimulate growth and extend innovation and development.

McCahery and Vermeulen's book stands as a seminal work providing a sound exposition of the relationship between legal and economic aspects, and the influence that these have had, and continue to have, in the context of the corporate governance of non-listed companies. I highly recommend it.