2019 |
Van Straalen, L. The Resilient European Corporate Community: Evidence from the European network of interlocking directorates between 2005 and 2018 Masters Thesis 2019. Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: board of directors, business elites, corporate governance, Eurocrisis, European Union, interlocking directorates, networks @mastersthesis{vanStraalen2019,The European network of interlocking directorates is an important backbone of European integration, connecting the transnational European corporate elite. In this thesis, I analyzed the development of the European IDN between 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2018 with two new datasets. The findings show that after a period of growth between 2005 and 2010, the European corporate network decreased in connectivity during the financial crisis. After 2015, the European IDN started growing again, proving its resilience. This study of the development of the European IDN, its core of firms and directors and the first effects of Brexit on the British connectivity to the European corporate elite, shows that with Euroscepticism and nationalism on the rise, the European corporate community might yet again prove to be of great importance in influencing the future of the European Union. |