Concentration in the command over capital

Financialization and the transformation of companies´ ownership structures

Authors

  • Jenny Simon PR)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32387/prokla.v50i199.1881

Keywords:

Share capital, ownership, concentration, financialization, index funds

Abstract

How ownership of and control over large companies is organized is of high socio-political importance. Following an understanding of financialization as gain in significance of fictious capital and empirically focusing on the U.S. and German economy, the article examines the reorganization of companies´ ownership structures and the related massive concentration in the command over share capital on institutional investors since the 1980s. Putting the concrete investment strategies and financial instruments at the center of attention, the rise of passive investment after the global financial and economic crisis reveals a landslide shift in the command over share capital in favor of a small group of institutional investors: the Index funds providers.

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Published

2020-06-02

How to Cite

Simon, J. (2020). Concentration in the command over capital: Financialization and the transformation of companies´ ownership structures. PROKLA. Journal of Critical Social Science, 50(199), 239–256. https://doi.org/10.32387/prokla.v50i199.1881

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