An attempt to classify plural forms of governance

Resumen

Plural governance structures arise when a firm conduct the same transaction simultaneously under more than one governance structure. The article presents a classification of cases of plural governance structures, based on the rationale behind the choice of a combination of simple governance structures. The method was the comparison of cases reported in the literature. Four main sets of cases occurring plural forms were found, in which the governance structures are complementary; determined by resources available to firms; explained the diversity of contract makers; and related to the history of the firm. Various theoretical lenses are useful to analyze the phenomenon of plural, particularly Transaction Costs Economics, Resource Based View, and Industrial Organization, setting then the issue of the adequacy of theories to the concrete cases.