CORPORATE-CONTROL AND ENTERPRISE STRUCTURE IN THE CANADIAN ECONOMY - 1972-1987

Earlier work has examined corporate control, enterprise structure, and horizontal concentration within the Canadian economy (Berkowitz et al ., 1978/1979). Moderately little change was observed in the number of firms and mappings of firms to standard industrial classification area s during the 15 year period in question. There was a considerable decr ease in the number of both single-firm and multiple-firm enterprises o ver this time period. Mean and median enterprise size (number of firms ) has increased, while horizontal integration and therefore (as they h ave traditionally been calculated) conventional measures of corporate concentration within industrial areas, have remained substantially unc hanged except in the case of a few marginal industries. The Gini indic es of the number of firms mapped to enterprises are substantially the same for the two years measured. There was, however, considerable sign ificant and economically important change in the Canadian corporate sy stem. This change was entirely structural and involved a considerable reduction in the number, and an increase in the strategic importance o f, enterprises.