The Economic Nature of the Firm: A Reader [Paperback]

Louis Putterman (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 1986 | ISBN-10: 0521311403 | ISBN-13: 978-0521311403

This book brings together classic writings on the economic nature and organization of firms, including works by Ronald Coase, Oliver Williamson, and Michael Jensen and William Meckling, as well as more recent contributions by Paul Milgrom, Bengt Holmstrom, John Roberts, Oliver Hart, Luigi Zingales, and others. Part I explores the general theme of the firm's nature and place in the market economy; Part II addresses the question of which transactions are integrated under a firm's roof and what limits the growth of firms; Part III examines employer-employee relations and the motivation of labor; and Part IV studies the firm's organization from the standpoint of financing and the relationship between owners and managers. The volume also includes a consolidated bibliography of sources cited by these authors and an introductory essay by the editors that surveys the new institutional economics of the firm and issues raised in the anthology. The collection aims to introduce the core literature to advanced undergraduates, business and economics graduate students, and scholars in allied disciplines, including law, sociology, and organization and management.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Over the years, this classic reader has been a terrific source for those seeking to understand the nature of the firm. The updated material in the new edition will extend this distinguished record.' Bengt Holmstrom, MIT

'For decades, economists focused on the miracle of the market to explain the productive performance of advanced economies. But both the miracles and the problems of modern economies are mostly rooted inside the firms that the system cultivates. The previous editions of the Kroszner-Putterman reader served my students well by exposing them to the deepest economic thinking about the role of the firm. This new edition has some great additions that keep this reader right up to date.' Paul Milgrom, Stanford University --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Book Description

This is a book of classic and near-classic readings on issues in the theory of how firms are organized, written by economists well known in the field. It includes an introductory essay by co-editors Randall S. Kroszner and Louis Putterman and a unified reference list. The book has been used as a text in classes on the economics of firms at Stanford Business School, London School of Economics, Brown University, Hebrew University, and other schools. The collection aims to introduce the core literature to advanced undergraduates, business and economics graduate students, and scholars in allied disciplines, including law, sociology, and organization and management. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (November 28, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521311403
• ISBN-13: 978-0521311403
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,818,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant surprise, December 30, 2007

By 

Frank S. Fang "Author of 'China Fever'" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Economic Nature of the Firm: A Reader (Paperback)

The introductory essay in this new edition is a pleasant surprise, it is probably the best survey in the topic so far.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent compilation of readings for economics of the firm, August 18, 2000

By 

Ramon Garcia (Miami, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Economic Nature of the Firm: A Reader (Paperback)

All the information you need and the appropiate readings are here in this book, which can be very usefull for the study of the economics of a firm and many other topics in business economics. Worth a look!