MODELING THE ORIGINS OF NATIONALLY-BOUND ADMINISTRATIVE HERITAGES - AHISTORICAL INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS OF FRENCH AND BRITISH FIRMS

The nation state form of capitalism as the determinant of nationally-b ound administrative traditions and practices is receiving renewed atte ntion in Organization Theory. In part, this interest derives from theo ry building on the basis of historical analysis and, in part, it deriv es from the attempts to conceptualize evolutionary models of new organ ization forms in which the persistence of the nation state form of cap italism is reflected in specific aspects of the form such as the emplo yment relationship and corporate governance. This paper presents a com parative analysis of French and British administrative heritage, by cl arifying the underlying historical reasons which account for the diffe rences in the integrative mechanisms (e.g., centralization/decentraliz ation of decision making). The authors focus on the educational system in both countries as one key dimension of the nation state form of ca pitalism and the source of beliefs about ''how things ought to be done '' as they relate to preferences for ''how to manage''-the choice to c entralize or decentralize decision making.