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The home country effect on between- and within-firm performance differences

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  • Andrews, Daniel S.
  • Fainshmidt, Stav
  • Cuervo-Cazurra, Alvaro

Abstract

This study estimates the home country effect on multinational firm performance using data from 117 home countries (28,079 firms) and 123 host countries (85,579 affiliates) from 2010 to 2019. Using a variance decomposition approach, we find that the effect explains a sizable portion of variance between firms but is mostly trivial for performance differences among foreign affiliates within firms. These findings complement and improve research on location effects, informing the debate on the conceptualization of the home country effect. We revise assumptions about the transferability of homegrown advantages and highlight the importance of aligning theory and empirics in understanding performance differences globally.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrews, Daniel S. & Fainshmidt, Stav & Cuervo-Cazurra, Alvaro, 2025. "The home country effect on between- and within-firm performance differences," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 60(1).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:60:y:2025:i:1:s1090951624000749
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jwb.2024.101594
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