Contractual commitments, bargaining power, and governance inseparability: Incorporating history into transaction cost theory

  • Nicholas S. Argyres
  • , Julia Porter Liebeskind

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    355 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    We extend transaction cost economics by arguing that prior contractual commitments made by a firm can limit its ability to differentiate or change its governance arrangements in the future - a condition we term governance inseparability. Changes in bargaining power between a firm and its exchange partners also can result in governance inseparability. Consequently, governance choice may be more particularistic than the current version of transaction cost economics allows. We provide several testable propositions.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)49-63
    Number of pages15
    JournalAcademy of Management Review
    Volume24
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Jan 1999

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Contractual commitments, bargaining power, and governance inseparability: Incorporating history into transaction cost theory'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this