Changes in the institutional environment and the institutions of governance: extending the contributions of transaction cost economics within the management control literature

Transaction cost economics (TCE) has been proposed as a useful approach for examining management control (MC) issues. The purpose of this paper is to explore the articulation of TCE and MC through the use of the work of early institutional economist John R. Commons. In keeping with Commons' work, we incorporate institutional change as important to considerations of the viability of alternative forms of governance including various management control practices. Also consistent with Commons' work, our paper elaborates upon the significance of the concepts of "asset specificity" and "opportunism" through an illustrative analysis of contemporary efforts to de-regulate the utilities industry in the State of California, and the related role of Enron Corporation in those de-regulatory efforts. This context provides a rich backdrop to highlight the joint articulation of TCE and MC issues. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.