Research Handbook on the History of Corporate and Company Law

by Harwell Wells (Author, Editor)

Today, the corporation plays a dominant role in economics, politics, and societies across the globe. Understanding the corporation means understanding its legal framework but until recently, the origins and evolution of corporate law have received relatively little attention. This Handbook sheds new light on the historical development of both the corporation and business organization law.
This extensive collection brings together contributions from an array of international academics to provide the first wide-ranging history of the laws of corporations and business organizations from ancient to modern times. The contributors offer a global exploration of the development of corporation and company law, moving beyond the United States and Western Europe to present studies in Mexico, India and China, as well as addressing the trajectory of scholarly debate. Not only do the contributions examine the growth of the law of public corporation, they also address the development of laws governing other business forms.

This Handbook will prove an invaluable resource for corporation law and business scholars, as well as business and legal historians and economists.

Contributors include: B. Aronson, A. Aviram, W. Bratton, G. Del Angel, M. Gelter, A. Gomez-Galvarriato, Y. González de Lara, T.W. Guinnane, R. Harris, L. Johnson, V. Khanna, T. Kuntz, S. Martínez-Rodríguez, D.T. Mitchell, M.T. Moore, J. Rochat, J. Rubin, T. Ruskola, G. Sandrelli, F.L. Stewart, J.D. Turner, U. Varottil, M. Ventoruzzo, M. Wachter, H. Wells, R.E. Wright

Review
'Historical analysis of corporate law has become something of growth industry lately. The Research Handbook on the History of Corporate and Company Law will no doubt move quickly to the forefront of this burgeoning literature. The essays, each impressive individually, combine to provide a volume that is strikingly wide-ranging, both in terms of the eras covered and the jurisdictions canvassed.'
–Brian R. Cheffins, University of Cambridge, UK

'For anyone interested in the modern corporation this book is invaluable, a real treasure trove. With an admirable breadth and depth of scholarship, it fills a notable gap in the literature on a fundamental aspect of the corporate form. Thoroughly recommended for both scholars and students.'
–Nicholas H.D. Foster, SOAS University of London, UK

About the Author
Edited by Harwell Wells, Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, US