Du Pont-State Linkages: A Socio-Historical Analysis
Mcnamee, Stephen John
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/67902
Description
Title
Du Pont-State Linkages: A Socio-Historical Analysis
Author(s)
Mcnamee, Stephen John
Issue Date
1980
Department of Study
Sociology
Discipline
Sociology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Sociology, Industrial and Labor Relations
Language
eng
Abstract
A central issue in the study of politics is the role of the state in the accumulation of private capital. Although there have been numerous theoretical discussions of this issue, few empirical analyses have been carried out. This thesis examines the historical impact of the Du Pont-State relationship on the capital accumulation of the Du Pont Company.
The history of the Du Pont Company is divided into five stages of capital accumulation: organizational formation, monopolization, diversification, research and development, and foreign expansion. The stages of capital accumulation are conceptualized as organizational paradigms. Each paradigm constitutes a guide for organizational activity in pursuit of three interrelated objectives--profit, growth, and stability.
This thesis documents the construction of external environments on the part of the Du Pont Company through the five stages of capital accumulation. This construction is viewed as a rationalizing strategy to reduce environmental uncertainty. Two main types of environmental uncertainty are identified. Material uncertainty pertains to uncertainty regarding the flow of resources through the organization. Symbolic uncertainty pertains to uncertainties of meaning attached to organizational activities. Material construction of environmental conditions provided the Du Pont Company with a means of capital accumulation, while symbolic construction of environmental conditions provided the Du Pont Company with a means of capital legitimation.
This thesis therefore details the processes by which the state participated in this material and symbolic construction of environmental conditions. Major changes in the Du Pont-State relationship were brought about by contradictions in the capital accumulation process. These contradictions interfered with the prevailing mode of capital accumulation which, in turn, led to organizational crisis and uncertainty. These uncertainties were resolved in part through the renegotiation of the Du Pont-State relationship.
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