Objective The project takes a number of long-lived family firms in different national contexts (France, Germany, Italy) and compares them with similar firms in the UK and US, some of which no longer are family firms. It examines the effect of regulation, fiscal systems, and law and inheritance patterns on corporate development; and investigates the efficiency of family firms. It will challenge the view that there is a one- way trajectory from small- scale family owned business to large joint stock corporations in which professional management is separated from a widely dispersed ownership.A large number of example in fact go the other way, from family firm to joint-stock corporation, but then back to control through non-listed family-dominated holding companies. Are there particular technologies or levels of capital intensitity that are most likely to be the focus of family business? What are the consequences for the overall course of economic development and change in the European setting?This issue is particularly important in the discussion of what are often held to be the peculiarities of continental European or "Rhineland" capitalism, and the current debate about its strengths and weaknesses. China and India, where there is a great deal of dynamic family enter prise, are interested in drawing lessons from the European model. The theme of the peculiarities of European corporate development has also become an important part of the discussion about how European social and legal structures adapt to globalisation. Fields of science social scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managemententrepreneurshipsocial sciencessociologygovernancetaxationsocial scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managementemploymentsocial sciencessociologyglobalizationsocial scienceslaw Keywords Family firms corporate governance Programme(s) FP6-MOBILITY - Human resources and Mobility in the specific programme for research, technological development and demonstration "Structuring the European Research Area" under the Sixth Framework Programme 2002-2006 Topic(s) MOBILITY-3.3 - Marie Curie Chairs (EXC) Call for proposal FP6-2004-MOBILITY-10 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme EXC - Marie Curie actions-Chairs Coordinator EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE EU contribution No data Address VIA DEI ROCCETTINI 9 SAN DOMENICO DI FIESOLE (FI) Italy See on map Links Website Opens in new window Total cost No data
