Corporate Networks and Corporate Control: The Case of the Delaware Valley

Who controls corporations? is perhaps one of the central questions of power structure research. Ralph M. Faris seeks to answer that question and more specifically Who controls Delaware Valley corporations? through a sustained study of the formal ties between corporations commonly referred to as interlocks . This book provides empirical evidence of the nature and extent of interlocking directorates among Fortune 500 and Fortune 50 ranked corporations within that area. Faris generates a profile of nationally and locally oriented multiple interlockers to compare with current sociological descriptions of the national ruling class and identifies 48 multiple-interlockers along with data on their connections to policy-setting groups, sociocultural organizations, and religious denominations. This scaled-down but more descriptive version of a larger national study of Fortune 500 companies takes a comprehensive look at the affiliations of Philadelphia’s corporate network including memberships in elite private clubs, policy-setting groups, and more. Tables and figures make the interlocking connections particularly accessible.