The Corporate Governance Debate, 1873-1914

This set includes works by a number of major writers on corporate governance in the late 19th century. The books presented here capture that debate in all its variety, and the views of their authors continue to resonate in the early 21st century after the downfall of Enron and WorldCom.

The downfall of Enron, Global Crossing, WorldCom and other large American firms, and the resulting shockwaves in the world economy, have brought the subject of corporate governance to the forefront of business thinking. As well as new theorising on the subject, many researchers in academia, business and the public sector are turning to the events of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which in many ways parallel those of today. The rise of big trusts and corporations in the USA in the late 19th century was accompanied by serious legal and ethical abuses of power by these corporations and their managers. The result was a bitter battle between the business establishment on the one hand and reforming journalists, lawyers and economists on the other, a battle which focused around a single idea: what is the purpose of the business corporation? What is its place in society? What are its duties to that society, and what are the responsibilities of its managers and owners? This set includes works by a number of major early writers on corporate governance. The books presented here capture that debate in all its variety, and the views of their authors continue to resonate today.