Historical contingency

Richard Marens

Chapter 71 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Historical Organisation Studies, 2026, pp 256-259 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Historical contingencies function as exogenous influences that are not themselves explained by the particular theoretical lens through which a phenomenon is examined. For example, one might choose among various functional ‘theories of the firm’ by examining the historical circumstances of the emergence of large firms. The impact of historical contingency on social structures can be sorted into two antinomic categories, ‘self-reinforcing’ (path dependency, isomorphism) and ‘reactive’, in which contingent events force the evolution of institutions away from inertial path dependency and towards further evolution in an unforeseeable direction, as exemplified by Brenner's explanation of the rise of capitalism in England.

Keywords: Organizational history; Path dependency; Open systems; Isomorphism; Theories of the firm; Rise of capitalism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035332922
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