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Varieties in Capitalism, Varieties of Association: Collaborative Learning in American Industry, 1900 to 1925

Author

Listed:
  • Gerald Berk

    (University of Oregon, gberk@uoregon.edu)

  • Marc Schneiberg

    (Reed College, marc.schneiberg@directory.reed.edu)

Abstract

Between 1900 and 1925, the American economy witnessed a remarkably successful effort to upgrade competition through associations. Unlike the prevailing interpretation of American industrialization, in which associations fell prey to antitrust and collective action problems, we find many associations that reinvented themselves from cartels to developmental associations. This transition marked two previously unrecognized varieties in economic institutions. In the first, associations joined markets and corporate hierarchies to create variety in American capitalism. In the second, associations used deliberation, cost accounting, and benchmarking to enhance productivity and create varieties of collective governance. This article explains the origins of developmental associations, outlines their principles, traces their implementation in the commercial printing industry, and surveys their distribution and performance effects across 344 industries. Based on these findings, we revise conventional institutionalist assumptions about order and agency to make room for institutional diversity and actors’ capacities for reflexivity and learning.

Suggested Citation

  • Gerald Berk & Marc Schneiberg, 2005. "Varieties in Capitalism, Varieties of Association: Collaborative Learning in American Industry, 1900 to 1925," Politics & Society, , vol. 33(1), pages 46-87, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:polsoc:v:33:y:2005:i:1:p:46-87
    DOI: 10.1177/0032329204272390
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Andrea Felicetti, 2018. "A Deliberative Case for Democracy in Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(3), pages 803-814, July.
    2. repec:bla:jomstd:v:47:y:2010:i:s1:p:837-858 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Thomas Burr, 2014. "Making Distribution Markets: Market-Wide Institutions in French and American Bicycle Distribution, 1865–1914," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 73(1), pages 178-209, January.

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