Institutions, exchange relations, and the emergence of new fields: Regulatory policies and independent power production in America, 1978-1992

This paper analyzes how a new field, independent (or non-utility) power pro duction, was created by a federal mandate that electric utilities purchase power from private generating sources and how the field was populated. Resu lts show that key rules that state regulatory bodies adopted or rejected re gulating exchange between independent power producers and utilities were in fluential predictors of organizational foundings. Results also show that co llective action by independent power producers boosted foundings. Finally, if the preexisting relationship between utilities and regulators was one of accommodation, foundings were suppressed. The paper examines these results in view of economic and sociological perspectives on public policies, spot lighting the vital role of institutions in early population dynamics.