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Large Firms and Public Policy in Britain*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2008

Wyn Grant
Wyn Grant
Affiliation:
Department of Politics, University of Warwick
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Abstract

Despite the high level of concentration in the UK economy, the politics of firms has been largely neglected. The emergence of government relations divisions in very large companies is discussed and their functions are reviewed. However, very large firms are also actively involved in business interest associations. Very large firms may develop distinctive corporate political philosophies and a typology of such philosophies is presented. Government seeks to modify the behaviour of firms by providing a range of industrial policy incentives, but the available evidence suggests that the impact of such incentives is limited. Lack of mutual trust and understanding between firms and government, and the persistence of a concept of the autonomous firm, leads to pessimistic conclusions about the likely success of attempts to manage industrial decline.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Public Policy , Volume 4 , Issue 1 , February 1984 , pp. 1 - 17
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

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