This paper argues that the promotion boom, which occurred in the railway industry during the mid-1840s, was amplified by the issue of derivative-like assets which let investors take highly leveraged positions in the shares of new railway companies. The partially paid shares which the new railway...

Using ownership and control data for 890 firm-years, this paper examines the concentration of capital and voting rights in British companies in the second half of the nineteenth century. We find that both capital and voting rights were diffuse by modern-day standards. This implies that ownership...

Using ownership and control data for 890 firm-years, this paper examines the concentration of capital and voting rights in British companies in the second half of the nineteenth century. We find that both capital and voting rights were diffuse by modern-day standards. This implies that ownership...