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There is a growing consensus that business organization and organizational innovation are key determinants of economic growth and that business history is the most suitable arena for their study (eg Musacchio and Turner 2013; Morck and Yeung 2011; Greif 1996; Williamson 1982). The diversity of economic and legal environments and the multiplicity of contractual forms utilized throughout history may provide the variety required for evaluating the extent to which organizations impact economic progress and the generality of organizational theory (eg Nicholas 2015; Abramitzky et al. 2010; Hilt and O’Banion 2009; Guinnane et al. 2007; Hansmann et al 2006; Hilt 2006; Carlos and Nicholas 1990). Business history can also advance the analysis of organizational innovations by shedding light on the emergence of important contemporary organizational features and disentangling the effects of path dependence (eg …