Agents, brokerage and Argentinian railways 1880–1905
通过分析1880-1905年间巴林银行在阿根廷铁路业务中的2700封书信，揭示代理人如何作为信息中介影响商业网络的构成与演变，对研究基础设施融资和金融全球化有参考价值。
This article examines the role of agents and how their brokerage activities influenced the composition, shape and size of Baring’s business networks in Argentinian railways during 1880–1905. Baring was heavily involved in Argentine sovereign and railway financing and relied on trusted agents, who acted as important conduits of information, to manage their business empire. We explore 2700 pieces of correspondence in the form of letters and telegrams to illustrate Baring’s network over time. Studying the case of Argentinian railways, the correspondences reveal the longevity of Baring’s network and agents’ brokerage roles over time in response to changing local and global economic currents. Through this rich qualitative data and network analysis, we contribute to understanding agent’s brokerage and network change over time. By highlighting the role of invisible actors in the form of agents, the article contributes to understanding infrastructure finance, financial globalisation and more generally, the global history of capitalism.