We develop a theory of a multinational corporation's optimal mode of entry in a new market. The foreign firm can choose between a licensing agreement, a wholly owned subsidiary or shared control (joint venture). In an environment in which property rights are insecure, opportunism is possible, and the identification of new business opportunities is costly, we show that the relationship between the quality of the institutional environment and the mode of entry decision is non-monotonic. Licensing is preferred if property rights are strictly enforced, while a joint venture is chosen when property rights are poorly enforced. For intermediate situations, the better use of local knowledge made possible by shared control under a joint venture works as a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it makes the monitoring activity of the multinational more credible, on the other it offers insurance to both parties, potentially compromising the incentives faced by the local partner.
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Paper provided by University of Essex, Department of Economics in its series Economics Discussion Papers with number
645.
References listed on IDEAS Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
Antràs, Pol & Helpman, Elhanan, 2004.
"Global Sourcing,"
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4170, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
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Pol Antràs & Elhanan Helpman, 2003.
"Global Sourcing,"
NBER Working Papers
10082, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
Thomas Müller & Monika Schnitzer, 2005.
"Technology Transfer and Spillovers in International Joint Ventures,"
Discussion Papers
84, SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich.
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