Capitalism and global governance in business history: a roundtable discussion

This working paper brings together a diverse group of scholars to discuss the historiography of capitalism, business history and global governance and lay the foundations for further research in this area. Grace Ballor and Sabine Pitteloud open the discussion with a historiographical survey of the ways capitalism and its actors – in particular entrepreneurs and managers, firms and business associations – have interacted with international organizations and global governance frameworks. This literature review lays the foundation for contributions from four leading scholars and their perspectives on the past, present, and future of research in this area. Patricia Clavin discusses capitalism and governance through the dynamics of international relations, while Nicolás Perrone brings a lawyer’s perspective to the public-private creation of international rules; Neil Rollings thinks about firms, governments, and global governance through both continuities and change, and Quinn Slobodian applies the analytical framework of international political economy to the evolving relationships between states and markets on a global scale. Our collective examination of business and international order aims to offer critical scholarly insight on the 20th and 21st centuries and outline future research agendas for what promises to be an increasingly rich field of study.