Synopses & Reviews
This book uses differences in firm and market regulation and organization to explain differences in national economic performance. These differences affect the way in which firms process information, which is crucial to performance. Applying game theory, contract theory, and information theory, Aoki describes the rules and norms in Japan, the USA, and the transitional economies. He shows how firms can achieve--and in the case of Japan, maintain--competitive advantage in international markets.
About the Author
Masahiko Aoki is Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Professor of Japanese Studies and Professor of Economics at Stanford University and Director-General of the Research Institute of Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry. His work on the theory of the firm, the Japanese economy, and comparative economic institutions has given rise to many widely read publications, including
The Japanese Main Bank System (co-edited with Hugh Patrick) and
The Co-operative Game Theory of the Firm.
Table of Contents
1. What is Comparative Institutional Analysis?
2. . Organizational Diversity and Comparative Informational Efficiency
3. The Evolutionary Game and Multiple Equilibria
4. Institutional Complementarity and Corporate Governance
5. The Main Bank System and Government Regulations
6. Relevance to Corporate Governance in Transition Economies
7. Gains from Diversity and Institutional Reform in the Japanese Economy
Postscript 2000
Appendix. Towards a Comparative Institutional Analysis: Motivations and Some Tentative Theorizing