The Demography of Corporations and Industries

Oliver Williamson, University of California, Berkeley
"The Demogaphy of Corporations and Industries is an ambitious book. Originating in research on organizational ecology, the authors adopt a demographic perspective in which variety among firms within industries becomes the object of analysis. Vitality resides in the differences--which has important ramifications for organization theory and for public policy toward business. This book will influence research on organizations well into the new millenium."


Review
A compelling contribution that is destined to be a mandatory addition to the bookshelves of the beginner and the advanced scholar and a testament to the vigor and reach of the ecological program of research.


Ronald S. Burt, University of Chicago
"This book promises to be the touchstone reference for many years on the demography of organizations."


Review
The material in this book is virtually required reading for any serious course in organization studies.


American Journal of Sociology
Destined to become the standard reference. . . .


H.W. Brands, Reviews in American History
[An] important book.


H.W. Brands, Reviews in American History
[An] important book


Jeroen Bruggeman, Contemporary Sociology
One of the most scientific textbooks in the field.... [It] serves as an (almost) ideal example for students and scholars.


Hayagreeva Rao, Administrative Science Quarterly
A testament to the vigor and reach of the ecological program of research.


Review
A compelling contribution that is destined to be a mandatory addition to the bookshelves of the beginner and the advanced scholar and a testament to the vigor and reach of the ecological program of research.


Book Description
Most analysts of corporations and industries adopt the focal perspective of a single prototypical organization. Many analysts also study corporations primarily in terms of their internal organizational structures or as complex systems of financial contracts. Glenn Carroll and Michael Hannan bring fresh insight to our understanding of corporations and the industries they comprise by looking beyond prototypical structures to focus on the range and diversity of organizations in their social and economic setting. The result is a rich rendering of analysis that portrays whole populations and communities of corporations.

The Demography of Corporations and Industries is the first book to present the demographic approach to organizational studies in its entirety. It examines the theory, models, methods, and data used in corporate demographic research. Carroll and Hannan explore the processes by which corporate populations change over time, including organizational founding, growth, decline, structural transformation, and mortality. They review and synthesize the major theoretical mechanisms of corporate demography, ranging from aging and size dependence to population segregation and density dependence. The book also explores some selected implications of corporate demography for public policy, including employment and regulation.

In this path-breaking book, Carroll and Hannan demonstrate why demographic research on corporations is important; describe how to conduct demographic research; specify fruitful areas of future research; and suggest how the demographic perspective can enrich the public discussion of issues surrounding the corporation in our constantly evolving industrial society. All researchers and analysts with an interest in this topic will find The Demography of Corporations and Industries an invaluable resource.


From the Inside Flap

"The Demography of Corporations and Industries is an ambitious book. Originating in research on organizational ecology, the authors adopt a demographic perspective in which variety among firms within industries becomes the object of analysis. Vitality resides in the differences--which has important ramifications for organization theory and for public policy toward business. This book will influence research on organizations well into the new millennium."--Oliver Williamson, University of California, Berkeley

"Organizational ecology has for twenty years been among the most powerful paradigms for the study of organizations. This volume takes the next step, explicating clearly the tradition's demographic foundations, and elucidating its value for students of the firm. The Demography of Corporations and Industries will be an essential part of the libraries of organizational scholars in business schools and in departments of sociology and economics."--Paul J. DiMaggio, Princeton University

"This book promises to be the touchstone reference for many years on the demography of organizations."--Ronald S. Burt, University of Chicago

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The Demography of Corporations and Industries is the first book to present the demographic approach to organizational studies in its entirety. In this pathbreaking work, Glenn Carroll and Michael Hannan demonstrate why demographic research on corporations is important; describe how to conduct demographic research; specify fruitful areas of future research; and suggest how the demographic perspective can enrich the public discussion of issues surrounding the corporation in our constantly evolving industrial society. All researchers and analysts with an interest in this topic will find this book to be an invaluable resource.

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