How Many Varieties of Capitalism? Comparing the Comparative Institutional Analyses of Capitalist Diversity

This essay reviews the development of approaches within the comparative capitalisms (CC) literature and points to three theoretical innovations which, taken together, define and distinguish these approaches as a group. First, national economies are characterized by distinct institutional configurations that generate a particular systemic 'logic' of economic action. Second, the CC literature suggests a theory of comparative institutional advantage in which different institutional arrangements have distinct strengths and weaknesses for different kinds of economic activity. Third, the literature has been interpreted to imply a theory of institutional path dependence. Behind these unifying characteristics of the literature, however, lie a variety of analytical frameworks and typologies of capitalism. This paper reviews and compares these different frameworks by highlighting the fundamental distinctions among them and drawing out their respective contributions and limitations in explaining economic performance and institutional dynamics. The paper concludes that the way forward for this literature lies in developing a more dynamic view of individual institutions, the linkages between domains, and the role of politics and power.In diesem Discussion Paper werden Ansätze der Comparative-Capitalism-Diskussion vorgestellt. Sie haben drei theoretische Innovationen gemein. Erstens: Nationale Ökonomien werden durch institutionelle Konfigurationen geprägt, die auf jeweils eigene "systemische Logiken" wirtschaftlichen Handelns hinwirken. Zweitens: Die Comparative-Capitalism-Literatur beinhaltet eine Theorie der komparativen institutionellen Vorteile, der zufolge institutionellen Konfigurationen spezifische Wettbewerbsvorteile zugeordnet werden können. Zudem, drittens, beinhaltet die Comparative-Capitalism-Literatur auch eine implizite Theorie der Pfadabhängigkeit. Trotz dieser Gemeinsamkeiten unterscheiden sich die Ansätze hinsichtlich analytischer Zugriffe und Vorschläge zur Typologisierung nationaler Kapitalismen. Beim Vergleich dieser Ansätze werden besonders deren Stärken und Schwächen bei der Analyse wirtschaftlicher Performanz und institutioneller Entwicklungsdynamiken hervorgehoben. Der Aufsatz kommt zu dem Schluss, dass die Comparative-Capitalism-Literatur in dreierlei Hinsicht der Weiterentwicklung bedarf: hinsichtlich einer dynamischeren Modellierung von Institutionen, einem besseren Verständnis der Interaktion institutioneller Domänen und der Berücksichtigung von Macht und Politik in der Analyse von Produktionsregimen

O capitalismo coordenado alemão: do boom do pós-guerra à Agenda 2010 The German coordinated capitalism: from the post war boom to Agenda 2010

No pós-guerra constituiu-se na Alemanha um modelo de capitalismo coordenado, em que os sindicatos e as associações empresariais assumiram papel central. Constituíram-se várias formas de regulação via networks, presentes nas relações internas às firmas, nas formas de colaboração entre as empresas e na interação mais próxima entre bancos e empresas. Os bons resultados em termos de competitividade foram combinados com excelentes indicadores sociais. Entretanto, as transformações recentes, relacionadas à maior internacionalização produtiva e financeira, têm colocado em xeque o capitalismo socialmente coordenado. Em face aos desafios econômicos, a Alemanha vem reagindo, procurando reformas que tornem o modelo mais flexível. Mas aspectos centrais do modelo têm se conservado, com destaque para as relações de trabalho e os mecanismos de cidadania social.<br>The reconstruction of German political economy after the Second World War was marked by the consolidation of many forms of regulation via networks. Those networks, present in many areas of the economy, stimulated the cooperation among the actors, having critical implications for the performance of the model. The outstanding results in terms of competitivity combined with outstanding social indicators. In recent years, international transformations, including financial liberalisation and internationalisation of production, have putting the social coordinated capitalism in check. In face of the economic challenges, Germany has been adopting a range of reforms in the attempt to make the model more flexible. Nevertheless, central aspects of the coordinated capitalism have been preserved, including the system of industrial relations and the mechanisms of social citizenship

Multiple modernities or varieties of modernity?

10.1177/0011392106058835Current Sociology54