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Opportunism, Hold-Up and the (Contractual) Theory of the Firm

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  • James H. Love

Abstract

This paper considers the role of opportunism in three contractual theories of the firm: rent-seeking theory, property rights theory, and agency theory. In each case I examine whether it is possible to have a functioning contractual theory of the firm without recourse to opportunism. Without opportunism firms may still exist as a result of issues arising from (incomplete) contracting. Far from posing a problem for the theory of the firm, questioning the role of opportunism and the ubiquity of the hold-up problem helps us understand more about the purpose and functions of contracts which go beyond mere incentive alignment.

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  • James H. Love, 2010. "Opportunism, Hold-Up and the (Contractual) Theory of the Firm," Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics (JITE), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 166(3), pages 479-501, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:mhr:jinste:urn:sici:0932-4569(201009)166:3_479:ohatct_2.0.tx_2-5
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    Cited by:

    1. Olivier Meier & Aurélie Sannajust, 2021. "The smart contract revolution: a solution for the holdup problem?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 1073-1088, August.
    2. Olivier Meier & Aurélie Sannajust, 0. "The smart contract revolution: a solution for the holdup problem?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-16.
    3. Nigel Wadeson, 2013. "The Division of Labour under Uncertainty," Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics (JITE), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 169(2), pages 253-274, June.
    4. Chandan Kumar, 2018. "Opportunism and hold-up in the incomplete public private partnership (PPP) contracts," Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai Working Papers 2018-012, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, India.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure

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