Heinz Capitalism: How Many Varieties Are There? An Empirical Reexamination of Coordination Mechanisms in Advanced Market Economies

47 Pages Posted: 8 Jun 2006

See all articles by Daniel A. Geffen

Daniel A. Geffen

Columbia University - Department of Political Science

Thomas Kenyon

United Nations Industrial Development Organization

Date Written: May 2006

Abstract

This paper assesses the empirical foundations of the Varieties of Capitalism (VOC) literature. Using data for 18 OECD countries from 1975-2000, it tests a set of hypotheses concerning the relationship among labor, product and capital market institutions. We present two main findings. First, the typology of institutional combinations identified by VOC has limited empirical validity. While we do find a stable core of countries that approximates the set of liberal market economies described by Hall and Soskice, we find no consistent distinction between coordinated and Mediterranean market economies. Second, individual institutions have moved in different directions over time, some towards market and others towards non-market coordination. Our findings should caution researchers against adopting the VOC distinction between liberal and coordinated market economies at face value.

Keywords: varieties of capitalism, institutional complementarities, advanced industrial capitalism

Suggested Citation

Geffen, Daniel A. and Kenyon, Thomas, Heinz Capitalism: How Many Varieties Are There? An Empirical Reexamination of Coordination Mechanisms in Advanced Market Economies (May 2006). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1005407 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1005407

Daniel A. Geffen

Columbia University - Department of Political Science ( email )

MC3320
420 West 118th Street
New York, NY 10027
United States

Thomas Kenyon (Contact Author)

United Nations Industrial Development Organization ( email )

Vienna International Centre
Vienna, DC
Austria

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
1,044
Abstract Views
3,162
Rank
39,486
PlumX Metrics