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We compare the law governing business organizational forms in France and the United States during the nineteenth century and find that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, the contracting environment in the U.S. was neither freer nor more flexible than in France. U.S. businesses had a more limited menu of organizational choices and also much less ability to adapt the basic forms to meet their needs. Moreover, American law did not evolve any more readily in response to economic change than French law. In both nations, major changes in the rules governing organizational forms required the passage of new statutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the management of large-scale enterprises in nineteenth-century France. Creation of socio-occupational groups; Investigation of manager's social backgrounds and training; Policies of the Parisian Gas Co. regarding executives.

Examines the views of artisans toward artistic decline in the era of industrialization in Paris, France. Role of artisans in maintaining artistic standards and quality craftsmanship; Description of artisans in the pre-industrial society; Practical aspects of artisan process of production.