Abstract
Company Planning Agreements are a form of government intervention designed to conform the planning of large companies more closely to the economic and social plans of government. It was argued in 1973 by Stuart Holland and others that a major reason why the 1965 National Plan failed to raise the rate of economic growth was that very large, usually multinational companies (which he called the meso economy) were not involved in the planning process and exercised the power to frustrate the Plan in pursuit of their own objectives, accordingly, they should be compelled to make planning agreements. In office, the 1974 Labour Government abandoned their intention of making planning agreements compulsory in face of strong opposition from business interests - and only two voluntary agreements were signed. With Labour in opposition from 1979, however the concept has continued to feature in The Alternative Economic Strategy (in several variants), but with less emphasis since the 1987 General Election. In this thesis the background of indicative planning from which the concept emerged is examined but it is also argued that the broader and longer-term social and cultural context and the role of interest groups in the political decision-making process must be understood if the concept and practicability of company planning agreements are to be assessed. Criteria for assessment are whether the concept is well designed to promote social justice and whether they are likely to be effective in practice. It is concluded that, although policies to promote competition are succeeding in fostering economic growth, planning agreements could still play a useful role in reducing unemployment and steering businesses towards other economic and social objectives.