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National institutional systems, foreign ownership and firm performance: The case of understudied countries

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  • Carney, Michael
  • Estrin, Saul
  • Liang, Zhixiang
  • Shapiro, Daniel

Abstract

We analyse the relationship between institutional systems (configurations of countries with similar institutional characteristics) and firm performance. We use a large sample of firms from understudied countries to explore whether the performance impact of these configurations is the same (“equifinality”), whether this holds across different measures of firm performance (“Tversky effect”), and whether some institutional configurations better support foreign-owned firms. We find that it is possible to rank institutional systems according to their impact on firm performance, but the ranking differs according to the performance measure. Although foreign ownership on average confers performance advantages, the magnitude of the impact depends on the configuration. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the importance of institutional similarities across countries, and to the implications of these similarities for the theory of the MNE.

Suggested Citation

  • Carney, Michael & Estrin, Saul & Liang, Zhixiang & Shapiro, Daniel, 2019. "National institutional systems, foreign ownership and firm performance: The case of understudied countries," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 54(4), pages 244-257.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:54:y:2019:i:4:p:244-257
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jwb.2018.03.003
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Prince, Nicholas R. & Bruce Prince, J. & Kabst, Rüediger, 2020. "National culture and incentives: Are incentive practices always good?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(3).
    2. Colovic, Ana & Misganaw, Bisrat A. & Assefa, Dawit Z., 2022. "Liability of informality and firm participation in global value chains," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(1).
    3. Da Teng & Chengchun Li & Sailesh Tanna, 2022. "Foreign ownership and productivity in Chinese newly listed firms: the moderating roles of founder’s human capital and social ties," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 39(3), pages 1125-1159, September.
    4. Tesfaye T. Lemma & Tendai Gwatidzo & Mthokozisi Mlilo, 2023. "Gender differences in business performance: evidence from Kenya and South Africa," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 591-614, February.
    5. Boddewyn, Jean J. & Peng, Mike W., 2021. "Reciprocity and informal institutions in international market entry," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(1).
    6. Kuo‐Cheng Kuo & Wen‐Min Lu & Thanh Nhan Dinh, 2020. "Firm performance and ownership structure: Dynamic network data envelopment analysis approach," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(4), pages 608-623, June.
    7. Nicolae Stef, 2021. "Institutions and corporate financial distress in Central and Eastern Europe," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 57-87, August.
    8. Driffield, Nigel & Du, Jun & Song, Meng, 2021. "Internationalization pathways of Chinese private firms: A closer look at firm-specific advantages," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(3).
    9. Nejla Ould Daoud Ellili, 2023. "Impact of corporate governance on environmental, social, and governance disclosure: Any difference between financial and non‐financial companies?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(2), pages 858-873, March.
    10. Raquel García-García & Esteban García-Canal & Mauro F. Guillén, 2019. "International Dispersion and Profitability: An Institution-Based Approach," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 59(6), pages 855-888, December.
    11. Quan Tran & Anh‐Tuan Doan & Thao Tran, 2021. "Small and medium enterprises' credit access, ownership structure and job development," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(4), pages 710-735, December.
    12. Dong, Guowei & Kokko, Ari & Zhou, Haoyong, 2022. "Innovation and export performance of emerging market enterprises: The roles of state and foreign ownership in China," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6).
    13. Fan, Di & Zhang, Ya’nan & Huang, Xinli & Su, Yiyi, 2023. "Varieties of institutional systems, the belt-road initiative, and the patterned investment flows," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(4).
    14. Carney, Michael & Estrin, Saul & Liang, Zhixiang & Shapiro, Daniel, 2022. "Are Latin American business groups different? An exploratory international political economy perspective," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 111821, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    15. Chakravarty, Dwarka & Goerzen, Anthony & Musteen, Martina & Ahsan, Mujtaba, 2021. "Global cities: A multi-disciplinary review and research agenda," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(3).
    16. Anh‐Tuan Doan & Anh‐Tuan Le & Quan Tran, 2020. "Economic uncertainty, ownership structure and small and medium enterprises performance," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(2), pages 102-137, June.
    17. Bahl, Mona & Lahiri, Somnath & Mukherjee, Debmalya, 2021. "Managing internationalization and innovation tradeoffs in entrepreneurial firms: Evidence from transition economies," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(1).
    18. Huang, Yuanyuan & Xie, En & Wu, Zhan, 2021. "Portfolio characteristics of outward foreign direct investment and dynamic performance of emerging economy firms: An option portfolio perspective," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(4).

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