Investing in French Overseas Companies

A Bad Deal? The Liquidation Processes of Companies Operating on the West Coast of Africa and in India (1664–1719)

Bibliographic Data

ID11282869
AuthorsElisabeth Heijmans (0000-0002-5189-8362, corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume43
Issue01
Pages107-121
Publication date2019-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueItinerario (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0165-1153 • E-ISSN: 2041-2827
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0165115319000081
OpenAlexW2944713889
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited11

Although French chartered companies operating on the west coast of Africa and in India followed a similar model of organization, their liquidation processes differed depending of the area of their monopoly. As well as exploring the reasons for the distinction between these two regions of exclusive trade, this article demonstrates that the differing liquidation processes negatively impacted company shareholders in the two regions. Taking the perspective of shareholders farther, it explores the case of a specific investor and the informal economic profits he benefitted from. This approach contributes to deepening our understanding of the French early modern companies’ bankruptcies by examining informal aspects that would not be readily visible from an exclusively institutional point of view

Business · Corporate governance · Economics · Economy · Market economy · Monopoly · Perspective (graphical · Point (geometry · Shareholder · West coast · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · Historical Economic and Social Studies · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · Finance