Strategic alliances are taking on an increasingly important role given heightened competitive pressures and globalization. Alliances come in many varieties, and managers have considerable latitude in how they set up such ventures. This collection of articles by leading scholars addresses fundamental questions on the governance and contractual mechanisms underlying alliances. When are alliances an effective governance structure? Which governance mechanisms underlie strategic alliances? How does alliance governance change over time? How do relational governance mechanisms operate and relate to formal governance? What are the main contractual elements of alliances?

Notes on the Contributors
Introduction: Governance and Contracts in Strategic Alliances; A.Ariño & J.J.Reuer
PART I: GOVERNANCE OF STRATEGIC ALLIANCES
The Need for Scale as a Driver of Alliance Formation: Choosing between Collaborative and Autonomous Production; B.Garrette, X.Castañer & P.Dussauge
Do Alliances Provide Effective Entry into a New Line of Business?: The Short Term vs. Long Term Effects of Entering a New Line of Business Through Alliances; L.Mulotte & P.Dussauge
The Bearable Lightness of Inter-firm Strategic Alliances: Resource-Based and Procedural Contracting; A.Grandori & M.Furlotti
Why Managers Choose Equity Ownership in Inter-Firm Relationships?; P.Kale & P.Puranam
Government as an Alliance Partner; M.Richards & D.C.Indro
Coordination, Appropriation and Governance in Alliances: The Biotechnology Case; S.Tallman & A.Phene
Licences and Joint Ventures as Knowledge Acquisition Mechanisms: Evidence from U.S.-Japan Alliances; J.E.Oxley & T.Wada
Are there Benefits from Engaging in an Alliance with a Firm Prior to its Acquisition?; R.Agarwal, J.Anand & R.Croson
Interorganizational Governance Trajectories: Towards a Better Understanding of the Connections between Partner Selection, Negotiation and Contracting; P.W.L.Vlaar, F.A.J.van den Bosch & H.W.Volberda
Strategic Alliance Governance: An Extended Real Options Perspective; I.R.P.Cuypers & X.Martin
The Uncertainty-Governance Choice-Puzzle Revisited: Theoretical Perspectives on Alliance Governance; F.Koenig & T.Mellewigt
A Time-Dependent Framework on Developing Perceptions of Relational Norms: The Role of Emotions and Uncertainty Reduction Factors; L.Poppo & C.J.Lambe
Matching Alliance Governance to Alliance Content; G.Hoetker & T.Mellewigt
The Enforcement Space: Some Reflections on the Role of Trust and Enforcement in Strategic Alliances; S.Svejenova, M.P.Koza & A.Y.Lewin
PART II: CONTRACTUAL FOUNDATIONS OF STRATEGIC ALLIANCES
Revisiting Our Views of Contract and Contracting in the Context of Governing Alliances; P.Smith Ring
Designing Inter-Organizational Contracts: The Role of Detailed Task Descriptions; K.J.Mayer
The Value of Patent Protection for Technology Development Alliances; S.Wakeman
Do Prior Alliances Influence Alliance Contract Structure?; M.D.Ryall & R.C.Sampson
Learning to Govern by Contract; N.Argyres & K.J.Mayer
Contractual Renegotiations in Entrepreneurial Alliances; A.Ariño, R.Ragozzino & J.J.Reuer
Index

AFRICA ARIÑO is Associate Professor of General Management at IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Spain, where she serves as Associate Director for Faculty. She is also Academic Director of the Anselmo Rubiralta Centre for Globalization and Strategy at IESE. She holds a PhD from the Anderson School of Management at University of California, Los Angeles, USA.

JEFFREY J. REUER is Associate Professor at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, USA. His research is in the area of corporate strategy, and his current work examines corporate investments such as alliances and acquisitions using information economics and options theory. He holds a PhD from the Krannert Graduate School of Management at Purdue University, USA.