Global Electrification: Multinational Enterprise and International Finance in the History of Light and Power, 1878–2007

This book examines how multinational enterprises and international finance influenced the course of electrification around the world. Multinational enterprises played a crucial role in the spread of electric light and power from the 1870s through the first three decades of the twentieth century. However, their role did not persist, and by 1978 multinational enterprises in this sector had all but disappeared, replaced by electrical utility providers with national business structures. Yet, in recent years, there has been a vigorous revival. This book, a unique cooperative effort by the three authors and a group of experts from many countries, offers a fresh analysis of the history of multinational enterprise. The authors take an integrated approach, not simply comparing national electrification experiences, but supplying a truly global account.

William J. Hausman Chancellor Professor of Economics, College of William Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, United States Peter Hertner Professor of Economic and Social History, Historical Institute, Martin-Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany Mira Wilkins Professor of Economics, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States