A Reconsideration of William Dugger’s Analysis of Power

Abstract

In 1980, William Dugger published an article entitled “Power: An Institutional Framework of Analysis.” In doing so, he was following a long tradition in social and institutional economic analysis. This framework is the foundation for a good portion of Dugger’s later work and is a major theoretical achievement in institutional economics. This article will examine Dugger’s theoretical development of power. Dugger’s framework begins as a method of analysis that is built on a theory of power in general: that power is discretion exercised by individuals within the context of the roles they occupy in social institutions. Dugger initially applies this to a particular context—the US corporate economy of the 1980s. Later work by Dugger considers the exercise of power in other contexts. This later work provides insight into the ability of his framework of analysis to comprehend the situating of power in other specific historical contexts.