The course shows how economists have analyzed the links between general economic development and firm organizational structures. The course begins with Adam Smith's remarks on the relation between productivity and growth and his seminal analysis on market failures. Classical economic thought on this topic are then taken under critical consideration, up to Marx's analysis, especially focusing on structural transformations of capitalistic economies, from the tendency of the rate of profit to fall to property concentration. Finally, the course focuses on neoclassical contributions, especially on Alfred Marshall's key analysis about the nature of the firm. A special attention is paid to Joseph Schumpeter's researches on entrepreneur as innovator. The course aims to give a full critical description of historical basis of economic thought on this topic.