Twenty-one papers explore the accomplishments, limitations, and unmet needs of the field of new institutional economics. Papers discuss the theories of the firm; contracts--from bilateral sets of incentives to the multilevel governance of relations; institutions and the institutional...

The resolution of a concrete problem lies at the heart of action research approaches. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the practical difficulties implied by the adoption of a participative approach where the problem to be solved is constructed collaboratively with organizational...

When public research laboratories and industry meet to produce and exchange knowledge and technologies, they face decisions about how to frame these collaborations to make the best use of each partner’s resources, ensure a productive and fair outcome, and defuse any tensions and conflicts. In...

Purpose – This paper focuses on the decision by firms to commit and to invest unilaterally. It is concerned with the intriguing question as to whether unilateral commitments are mechanisms that help a firm manage risks in alliance relationships in a proactive manner....

Strategic alliances are characterized by inherent instability arising from uncertainty regarding a partner’s future behaviour and the absence of a higher authority to ensure compliance. Consequently, when firms adopt these strategies, they are confronted with a relational risk. This paper...

Cet article a pour objet de s’intéresser aux rôles des cabinets de conseil en management dans la dynamique du savoir collectif managérial. En utilisant la littérature des modes managériales (management fashion) sous une approche sociologique du courant néo-institutionnel, cet article se...