IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/abaman/v17y2018i5d10.1057_s41291-018-0044-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The different influences of the government and politicians on the international expansion of Chinese firms

Author

Listed:
  • Grimm Noh

    (Yonsei University)

  • Dongyoub Shin

    (Yonsei University)

Abstract

This paper examines the influences from the political sector on international expansion of Chinese firms. In analyzing the political sector, we distinguish between ‘formal institutional influences from the government’ and ‘informal relational influences from elite politicians.’ We argue that the government can pressure emerging-market firms to expand abroad despite the risk when outbound globalization is the national policy. However, networks with powerful politicians can discourage international expansion since sufficient domestic returns provided by the political connections can lead to lower motivation for internationalization. The governmental pressures toward internationalization can be moderated by firm size and relational networks with powerful politicians.

Suggested Citation

  • Grimm Noh & Dongyoub Shin, 2018. "The different influences of the government and politicians on the international expansion of Chinese firms," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 17(5), pages 366-396, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:pal:abaman:v:17:y:2018:i:5:d:10.1057_s41291-018-0044-8
    DOI: 10.1057/s41291-018-0044-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41291-018-0044-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41291-018-0044-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fan, Joseph P.H. & Wong, T.J. & Zhang, Tianyu, 2007. "Politically connected CEOs, corporate governance, and Post-IPO performance of China's newly partially privatized firms," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(2), pages 330-357, May.
    2. Henisz Witold J. & Williamson Oliver E., 1999. "Comparative Economic Organization—Within and Between Countries," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 1(3), pages 261-278, December.
    3. George J. Stigler, 1971. "The Theory of Economic Regulation," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 2(1), pages 3-21, Spring.
    4. Eero Vaara & Richard Whittington, 2012. "Strategy as practice : Taking Social Practices Seriously," Post-Print hal-02276672, HAL.
    5. Luo, Yadong & Xue, Qiuzhi & Han, Binjie, 2010. "How emerging market governments promote outward FDI: Experience from China," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 68-79, January.
    6. Witold J. Henisz, 2002. "The institutional environment for infrastructure investment," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 11(2), pages 355-389.
    7. Haiyang Li & Yan Zhang, 2007. "The role of managers' political networking and functional experience in new venture performance: Evidence from China's transition economy," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(8), pages 791-804, August.
    8. Federico Cingano & Paolo Pinotti, 2013. "Politicians At Work: The Private Returns And Social Costs Of Political Connections," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 11(2), pages 433-465, April.
    9. Jean J Boddewyn, 1988. "Political Aspects of MNE Theory," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 19(3), pages 341-363, September.
    10. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 1977. "The Internationalization Process of the Firm—A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 8(1), pages 23-32, March.
    11. Spiller, Pablo T, 1990. "Politicians, Interest Groups, and Regulators: A Multiple-Principals Agency Theory of Regulation, or "Let Them Be Bribed."," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 33(1), pages 65-101, April.
    12. Mary Yoko Brannen & Mark F Peterson, 2009. "Merging without alienating: interventions promoting cross-cultural organizational integration and their limitations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(3), pages 468-489, April.
    13. David M Reeb & Chuck C Y Kwok & H Young Baek, 1998. "Systematic Risk of the Multinational Corporation," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 29(2), pages 263-279, June.
    14. Sergio Rey & Myrna Sastré-Gutiérrez, 2010. "Interregional Inequality Dynamics in Mexico," Spatial Economic Analysis, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(3), pages 277-298.
    15. Jiangyong Lu & Xiaohui Liu & Mike Wright & Igor Filatotchev, 2014. "International experience and FDI location choices of Chinese firms: The moderating effects of home country government support and host country institutions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(4), pages 428-449, May.
    16. Peter J Buckley & L Jeremy Clegg & Adam R Cross & Xin Liu & Hinrich Voss & Ping Zheng, 2007. "The determinants of Chinese outward foreign direct investment," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(4), pages 499-518, July.
    17. Peter Smith Ring & Stefanie Ann Lenway & Michele Govekar, 1990. "Management of the political imperative in international business," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(2), pages 141-151, February.
    18. Roberto A. Weber & Colin F. Camerer, 2003. "Cultural Conflict and Merger Failure: An Experimental Approach," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 49(4), pages 400-415, April.
    19. Li, Hongbin & Meng, Lingsheng & Wang, Qian & Zhou, Li-An, 2008. "Political connections, financing and firm performance: Evidence from Chinese private firms," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 283-299, October.
    20. Wei, Tian & Clegg, Jeremy & Ma, Lei, 2015. "The conscious and unconscious facilitating role of the Chinese government in shaping the internationalization of Chinese MNCs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 331-343.
    21. Hattari, Rabin & S. Rajan, Ramkishen, 2011. "How Different are FDI and FPI Flows?: Distance and Capital Market Integration," Journal of Economic Integration, Center for Economic Integration, Sejong University, vol. 26, pages 499-525.
    22. Sumon Kumar Bhaumik & Nigel Driffield & Sarmistha Pal, 2010. "Does ownership structure of emerging-market firms affect their outward FDI? The case of the Indian automotive and pharmaceutical sectors," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(3), pages 437-450, April.
    23. Child, John & Rodrigues, Suzana B., 2005. "The Internationalization of Chinese Firms: A Case for Theoretical Extension?1," Management and Organization Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 1(3), pages 381-410, November.
    24. Eero Vaara & Richard Whittington, 2012. "Strategy as practice : Taking Social Practices Seriously," Post-Print hal-02312709, HAL.
    25. Wooldridge, Jeffrey M., 1999. "Distribution-free estimation of some nonlinear panel data models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 77-97, May.
    26. Klaus E Meyer & Yuan Ding & Jing Li & Hua Zhang, 2014. "Overcoming distrust: How state-owned enterprises adapt their foreign entries to institutional pressures abroad," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(8), pages 1005-1028, October.
    27. Henisz, Witold J. & Williamson, Oliver E., 1999. "Comparative Economic Organization—Within and Between Countries," Business and Politics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 1(3), pages 261-277, November.
    28. Peters, John G. & Welch, Susan, 1978. "Political Corruption in America: A Search for Definitions and a Theory, or If Political Corruption Is in the Mainstream of American Politics Why Is It Not in the Mainstream of American Politics Resear," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 72(3), pages 974-984, September.
    29. Chengqi Wang & Junjie Hong & Mario Kafouros & Mike Wright, 2012. "Exploring the role of government involvement in outward FDI from emerging economies," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(7), pages 655-676, September.
    30. Laurence Capron & Mauro Guillén, 2009. "National corporate governance institutions and post‐acquisition target reorganization," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(8), pages 803-833, August.
    31. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    32. Randall Morck & Bernard Yeung & Minyuan Zhao, 2008. "Perspectives on China's outward foreign direct investment," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(3), pages 337-350, April.
    33. Jun Xia & Xufei Ma & Jane W. Lu & Daphne W. Yiu, 2014. "Outward foreign direct investment by emerging market firms: A resource dependence logic," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(9), pages 1343-1363, September.
    34. Rabin Hattari & Ramkishen S. Rajan, 2011. "How Different are FDI and FPI Flows?: Does Distance Alter the Composition of Capital Flows?," Working Papers 092011, Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research.
    35. Cull, Robert & Xu, Lixin Colin, 2005. "Institutions, ownership, and finance: the determinants of profit reinvestment among Chinese firms," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(1), pages 117-146, July.
    36. Park, Yung Chul, 1990. "Development Lessons from Asia: The Role of Government in South Korea and Taiwan," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(2), pages 118-121, May.
    37. Peter J. Buckley & Mark Casson, 1991. "The Future of the Multinational Enterprise," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, edition 0, number 978-1-349-21204-0, December.
    38. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    39. Stefanie Ann Lenway & Thomas P Murtha, 1994. "The State as Strategist in International Business Research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 25(3), pages 513-535, September.
    40. Justin Tan & Mike W. Peng, 2003. "Organizational slack and firm performance during economic transitions: two studies from an emerging economy," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(13), pages 1249-1263, December.
    41. Deng, Ping, 2009. "Why do Chinese firms tend to acquire strategic assets in international expansion?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 74-84, January.
    42. Tai-Young Kim & Dongyoub Shin & Young-Chul Jeong, 2016. "Inside the “Hybrid” Iron Cage: Political Origins of Hybridization," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 27(2), pages 428-445, April.
    43. Yadong Luo & Rosalie L Tung, 2007. "International expansion of emerging market enterprises: A springboard perspective," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(4), pages 481-498, July.
    44. Esteban García‐Canal & Mauro F. Guillén, 2008. "Risk and the strategy of foreign location choice in regulated industries," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(10), pages 1097-1115, October.
    45. Simmons, Beth A. & Elkins, Zachary, 2004. "The Globalization of Liberalization: Policy Diffusion in the International Political Economy," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 98(1), pages 171-189, February.
    46. Chen, Jie & Dickson, Bruce J., 2010. "Allies of the State: China's Private Entrepreneurs and Democratic Change," Economics Books, Harvard University Press, number 9780674048966, Spring.
    47. John Child & Suzana B. Rodrigues, 2005. "The Internationalization of Chinese Firms: A Case for Theoretical Extension?," Management and Organization Review, International Association of Chinese Management Research, vol. 1(3), pages 381-410, November.
    48. Lin Cui & Fuming Jiang, 2012. "State ownership effect on firms' FDI ownership decisions under institutional pressure: a study of Chinese outward-investing firms," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(3), pages 264-284, April.
    49. Rui, Huaichuan & Yip, George S., 2008. "Foreign acquisitions by Chinese firms: A strategic intent perspective," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 213-226, March.
    50. Zhang, Jianhong & Zhou, Chaohong & Ebbers, Haico, 2011. "Completion of Chinese overseas acquisitions: Institutional perspectives and evidence," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 226-238, April.
    51. Huang, Yuanyuan & Xie, En & Li, Yu & Reddy, K.S., 2017. "Does state ownership facilitate outward FDI of Chinese SOEs? Institutional development, market competition, and the logic of interdependence between governments and SOEs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 176-188.
    52. Yigang Pan & Lefa Teng & Atipol Bhanich Supapol & Xiongwen Lu & Dan Huang & Zhennan Wang, 2014. "Firms’ FDI ownership: The influence of government ownership and legislative connections," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(8), pages 1029-1043, October.
    53. Mathews, John A., 2002. "Dragon Multinational: A New Model for Global Growth," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195121469, Decembrie.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chidlow, Agnieszka & Wang, Jue & Liu, Xiaohui & Wei, Yingqi, 2021. "A co-evolution perspective of EMNE internationalization and institutions: An integrative framework of 5Cs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(4).
    2. Zhu, Ying & Sardana, Deepak & Tang, Ryan, 2022. "Heterogeneity in OFDI by EMNEs: Drivers and trends of Chinese and Indian firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6).
    3. Wei Wei & Yulia Muratova, 2022. "Executive power and politically connected independent directors: evidence from China," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(1), pages 1-24, February.
    4. Andrei Panibratov & Daria Klishevich, 2023. "Emerging market state-owned multinationals: a review and implications for the state capitalism debate," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(1), pages 84-117, February.
    5. Muhammad Farhan Bashir & Benjiang MA & Luqman Shahzad & Biao Liu & Qiangjia Ruan, 2021. "China's quest for economic dominance and energy consumption: Can Asian economies provide natural resources for the success of One Belt One Road?," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(3), pages 570-587, April.
    6. Hongjuan Zhang & Rong Han & Liang Wang & Runhui Lin, 2021. "Social capital in China: a systematic literature review," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(1), pages 32-77, February.
    7. Hongjuan Zhang & Rong Han & Liang Wang & Runhui Lin, 0. "Social capital in China: a systematic literature review," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 0, pages 1-46.
    8. Sengupta, Aditi Sarkar & Kleindienst, Ingo & Hutzschenreuter, Thomas, 2023. "Heterogenous internationalization processes of emerging economy MNEs: A review and research agenda," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(3).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ping Deng & Andrew Delios & Mike W. Peng, 2020. "A geographic relational perspective on the internationalization of emerging market firms," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(1), pages 50-71, February.
    2. Vukicevic, Jelena & Fallon, Grahame & Ott, Ursula F., 2021. "A theoretical and empirical investigation into investment activities of technologically-intensive Chinese state-owned enterprises in the UK," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(1).
    3. Ajai S Gaur & Xufei Ma & Zhujun Ding, 2018. "Home country supportiveness/unfavorableness and outward foreign direct investment from China," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(3), pages 324-345, April.
    4. Chabowski, Brian R. & Samiee, Saeed, 2023. "A bibliometric examination of the literature on emerging market MNEs as the basis for future research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 155(PB).
    5. Alessia Amighini & Claudio Cozza & Elisa Giuliani & Roberta Rabellotti & Vittoria Scalera, 2015. "Multinational enterprises from emerging economies: what theories suggest, what evidence shows. A literature review," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 42(3), pages 343-370, September.
    6. Ilan Alon & John Anderson & Ziaul Haque Munim & Alice Ho, 2018. "A review of the internationalization of Chinese enterprises," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 35(3), pages 573-605, September.
    7. Peter J Buckley & L Jeremy Clegg & Hinrich Voss & Adam R Cross & Xin Liu & Ping Zheng, 2018. "A retrospective and agenda for future research on Chinese outward foreign direct investment," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(1), pages 4-23, January.
    8. Andrei Panibratov & Daria Klishevich, 2023. "Emerging market state-owned multinationals: a review and implications for the state capitalism debate," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(1), pages 84-117, February.
    9. Dirk Holtbrügge & Sue Claire Berning, 2018. "Market Entry Strategies and Performance of Chinese Firms in Germany: The Moderating Effect of Home Government Support," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 147-170, February.
    10. Hu, Helen Wei & Cui, Lin, 2014. "Outward foreign direct investment of publicly listed firms from China: A corporate governance perspective," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 750-760.
    11. Sun, Sunny Li & Peng, Mike W. & Lee, Ruby P. & Tan, Weiqiang, 2015. "Institutional open access at home and outward internationalization," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 234-246.
    12. Sun, Zhe & Vinig, Tsvi & Hosman, Thomas Daniël, 2017. "The financing of Chinese outbound mergers and acquisitions: Is there a distortion between state-owned enterprises and privately owned enterprises?," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(PA), pages 377-388.
    13. Su, Cong & Kong, Lingshuang & Ciabuschi, Francesco & Yan, Haifeng, 2021. "Reverse innovation transfer in Chinese MNCs: The role of political ties and headquarters," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(1).
    14. Buckley, Peter J & Cui, Lin & Chen, Liang & Li, Yi & Choi, Yoona, 2023. "Following their predecessors’ journey? A review of EMNE studies and avenues for interdisciplinary inquiry," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 58(2).
    15. Wei, Tian & Clegg, Jeremy & Ma, Lei, 2015. "The conscious and unconscious facilitating role of the Chinese government in shaping the internationalization of Chinese MNCs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 331-343.
    16. Wei, Ziyi & Nguyen, Quyen T.K., 2017. "Subsidiary strategy of emerging market multinationals: A home country institutional perspective," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 1009-1021.
    17. Cuervo-Cazurra, Alvaro & Li, Cheng, 2021. "State ownership and internationalization: The advantage and disadvantage of stateness," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(1).
    18. Deng, Ziliang & Yan, Jiayan & van Essen, Marc, 2018. "Heterogeneity of political connections and outward foreign direct investment," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 893-903.
    19. Bin Guo & Gangxiang Xu & Wen Li, 2017. "Seeking legitimacy: Chinese OFDI and domestic isomorphic pressures," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 16(1), pages 1-24, April.
    20. Lin Cui & Yi Li & Klaus E. Meyer & Zijie Li, 2015. "Leadership Experience Meets Ownership Structure: Returnee Managers and Internationalization of Emerging Economy Firms," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 355-387, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:abaman:v:17:y:2018:i:5:d:10.1057_s41291-018-0044-8. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.