Shifts in government business relations: Assessing 
change using the restrictive business registers in the OECD, 1945-1995

Abstract

The varieties of capitalism framework highlights the governance of firms’ competitive behaviour as a key aspect of state-business relations. This article examines changes in the scope, intensity and transparency of cartel registers in 13 OECD countries in the half century following World War II. Quantifying these policy aspects over five decades using the OECD’s 2013 New Indicators of Competition Law and Policy reveals changes in government-business relations over time, with different approaches evident in each country. The results reveal complex interactions effect policy in each country and challenge a simple ‘Americanisation’ explanation for changes in cartel policy and the static typology of the VoC literature.