In the past half century, the theory of the firm has become a specific and prolific research field. However, the social ontology of this central institution of capitalism has never truly been the subject of investigation. I consider this negligence harmful for organizational economics and...

This paper aims to analyze the impact of recent industrial changes on the governance structure of power relationships. To achieve this goal, three insights are discussed. First, the definition of what a firm is in both economic theory and in corporate law is clarified. Second, the four core...

The institutional and industrial evolution of the 1980s and 1990s considerably transformed the governance structures of production through globalization, financialization and the accentuation of competitive pressures. The governance structures of inter-firm relationships have changed greatly;...