Profiting the Crown traces the rise and evolution of Polymer Corporation until its sale in 1990 to the German chemical giant A.G. Bayer. Crown corporations are widely regarded as a Canadian invention, but the failures of many state-run enterprises in the twentieth century have led to the widely held position that government has no place in the boardrooms of the nation. Matthew Bellamy shows how Polymer was both a successful tool of public policy and a profitable economic enterprise, bringing to light the accomplishments of one of Canada''s pioneering crown corporations.

Matthew J. Bellamy is lecturer in economics and history, Carleton University.