This project analyzes data on about 4500 corporations in 18th and 19th century Russia. The data were collected under a previous NSF grant, 8419943, published in several articles and a book by the PI. This new project is interdisciplinary, involving his- torical and sociological methods, and sociological and economic theories of how organizations grow and die. Factors include the impact of culture and politics on the growth and structure of organizations. Specific variables include credit policies, tariffs, subsidies, and legal changes. The goal is to develop an understanding of what produced the distinctive features of early Russian capitalism. The analyses apply organizational theories of ecological climate and 'permanently failing corporations,' and provide information on their applicability beyond the framework of American capitalism. After completion of the project, the data set will be available for other research projects by other scholars.
