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Towards a Political Theory of the Firm

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  • Zingales, Luigi

Abstract

Neoclassical theory assumes that firms have no power of fiat any different from ordinary market contracting, thus a fortiori no power to influence the rules of the game. In the real world, firms have such power. I argue that the more firms have market power, the more they have both the ability and the need to gain political power. Thus, market concentration can easily lead to a “Medici vicious circle, where money is used to get political power and political power is used to make money.

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  • Zingales, Luigi, 2017. "Towards a Political Theory of the Firm," CEPR Discussion Papers 12158, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:12158
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    6. Hao, Liang & Rong, Wang & Haikun, Zhu, 2020. "Growing up under Mao and Deng : On the ideological determinants of corporate policies," BOFIT Discussion Papers 20/2020, Bank of Finland, Institute for Economies in Transition.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Theory of the firm; Lobbying; Concentration;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • L20 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - General

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