3. Institutional Change in British Chambers of Commerce

The chapter follows the historical and current development of British chambers of commerce from their beginnings as organisations of the private-law type with voluntary membership and presents the evolution of their services and organisation over the last 250 years. Central to this development have been the respective service packages that they have been able to offer to their members. An important dynamic of British chambers lies in the fact that, through their involvement in government policy (in regional economic development, training programmes etc.) the chambers have received considerable financial resources. At the same time, this partnership with the government has weakened members’ ties to the association. The chapter divides the history of British chambers of commerce into three broad quasi-stable phases of service development (1783–1835, 1850–1950, and 1980–2012) interrupted by periods of more rapid change. Between 1835 and 1850 chambers responded to the reform of the election franchise at national and local level. The changes that took place between 1950 and 1980 were mainly the outcome of industries collapsing as a result of foreign competition, globalisation, and the failure of the British version of corporatist structures, a period that was brought to an end by the Thatcher government that took office in 1979. The current phase, while in many ways less a stable period than one of continuing change, has seen market-driven dynamics emphasising members’ demands to an even greater extent. The chapter also addresses the more recent turbulence associated with the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.