concentration of ownership

concentration of ownership

a tendency noticed by MARX, among others, for the proportion of the population owning the MEANS OF PRODUCTION to decline. Marx regarded this tendency as a characteristic of ADVANCED CAPITALISM. The contrary thesis is a dispersal of ownership, including a widening of share ownership and indirect ownership (e.g. through pension schemes) – and of PUBLIC OWNERSHIP. Against this, a further argument is that even if formal ownership becomes more widespread, control of the means of production remains concentrated: the so-called separation of ownership and control.