Ownership Successions in Family Firms: A longitudinal country study 1990-2009

Up to 60 percent of all entrepreneurs in Sweden and other industrialized nations are approaching the age of retirement. While some choose between selling their firm to an external party or handing it over to family successors, many eventually close down their business. This may have dire consequences on regional and the national economies. This research project aims to increase knowledge of mechanisms that determine the reason behind ownership transfers and successions, and the economic outcomes of such processes in terms of firm profitabillity, growth, and regional development.

Keywords: Family firms, Intergenerational transfer, Entrepreneurial Exit, External owners