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From the editor: Steering a policy turn in international business – opportunities and challenges

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  • Ari Van Assche

    (HEC Montréal
    CIRANO)

Abstract

International business (IB) scholarship has developed a deep expertise in explaining how the international environment affects the behavior and strategies of firms, yet IB concepts continue to make limited inroads in policy circles. By comparing the fields of IB and international economics, I argue that a key reason behind this puzzle is that IB scholars have evolved into an epistemic community that builds on a frame of reference which is not adapted to policy practitioners’ concerns. IB researchers have a strong focus on the performance of the firm from a private perspective, whereas policymakers are interested in the performance of countries or regions from a public or societal perspective. I discuss the steps that IB scholars need to take to translate their findings so that they become compatible with the societal viewpoint and therefore more readily useful to policymakers.

Suggested Citation

  • Ari Van Assche, 2018. "From the editor: Steering a policy turn in international business – opportunities and challenges," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 1(3), pages 117-127, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:joibpo:v:1:y:2018:i:3:d:10.1057_s42214-018-0013-0
    DOI: 10.1057/s42214-018-0013-0
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    8. Irum Hayat & Dr. Alay Ahmed & Dr Fayyaz Ahmed Anjum, 2023. "Exploring Constructs for Scale (PCOS-HRQOL) Based on Conscious and Unconscious Experiences of Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome," Journal of Policy Research (JPR), Research Foundation for Humanity (RFH), vol. 9(3), pages 113-123, September.
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    13. Jiatao Li & Ari Van Assche & Xiaolan Fu & Lee Li & Gongming Qian, 2022. "The Belt and Road Initiative and international business policy: A kaleidoscopic perspective," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(2), pages 135-151, June.
    14. Fernhaber, Stephanie A. & Zou, Huan, 2022. "Advancing societal grand challenge research at the interface of entrepreneurship and international business: A review and research agenda," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 37(5).
    15. N. Nuruzzaman & Ajai Gaur & Rakesh B. Sambharya, 2022. "WTO accession and firm exports in developing economies," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(4), pages 444-466, December.
    16. Sarianna Lundan & Ari Assche, 2021. "From the editors: Reflections on the nexus of complementarity between international business research and the policy practitioner community," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 4(2), pages 201-205, June.
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    18. Sébastien Miroudot, 2020. "Reshaping the policy debate on the implications of COVID-19 for global supply chains," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 3(4), pages 430-442, December.

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