This collection of essays by a distinguished team of authors drawn from a variety of disciplines seeks to build on the insights of the economic analysis of company law and broaden understanding by examining the company in a wider historical, legal, political, and sociological context. Issues discussed include the attitudes of political parties in the UK to the company, the rise of the non-executive director, and the evolution of the nexus of contracts theory of the company. There is a strong comparative theme, with discussions of the political and sociological context of corporate governance in France, Germany, and Japan, together with developments at the European level.