Fix, Blair2022-11-102022-11-102016Energy and Institution Size. Fix, Blair. (2016). Working Papers on Capital as Power. No. 2016/04. June. pp. 1-56. (Article - Working Paper; English).http://hdl.handle.net/10315/40005complexity energy human biology institutions hierarchy technologyWhy do institutions grow? Despite nearly a century of scientific effort, there remains little consensus on this topic. This paper offers a new approach that focuses on energy consumption. A systematic relation exists between institution size and energy consumption per capita: as energy consumption increases, institutions become larger. I hypothesize that this relation results from the interplay between technological complexity and human biological limitations. I also show how a simple stochastic model can be used to link energy consumption with firm dynamics.Working Paper