IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/orstsc/v5y2020i1p39-54.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Going the Distance: The Foreign Investment Strategies of Sovereign Wealth Funds

Author

Listed:
  • Pedro Makhoul

    (UCLA Anderson School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095)

  • Aldo Musacchio

    (Brandeis International Business School, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453; National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138)

  • Sergio Lazzarini

    (Insper Institute of Education and Research, Sao Paulo, SP 04546-042, Brazil)

Abstract

The spread of investments by sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) around the world has raised questions about what determines their location choices. We argue that SWFs, like multinational companies, consider a host of cross-country distance factors to guide their location decisions and that the effect of distances is significant not only for their direct investment in foreign affiliates, but also for the indirect stakes they hold via pyramids. Starting with a simple binary dependent variable indicating the presence of an investment of a given fund in a given country, we find that distances are key determinants of SWFs’ location choices for direct investments but are less important for indirect investments. Yet this difference in the effect of distances on direct and indirect location choices disappears when we adjust for the relative size of the investment. We thus confirm that SWFs pay more attention to indirect investments—as much as they do to direct ones—when those investments are relatively large. Our findings suggest that it is imperative that studies on foreign location and organizational distance account for indirect stakes and for the size of investments in order to see a more complete picture of firms’ investment strategies. In addition, we consider the moderating role of fund-level heterogeneous traits (such as their overall strategic orientation) but do not find consistent moderating effects on the link between distances and location choices.

Suggested Citation

  • Pedro Makhoul & Aldo Musacchio & Sergio Lazzarini, 2020. "Going the Distance: The Foreign Investment Strategies of Sovereign Wealth Funds," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 5(1), pages 39-54, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:inm:orstsc:v:5:y:2020:i:1:p:39-54
    DOI: 10.1287/stsc.2019.0098
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1287/stsc.2019.0098
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/stsc.2019.0098?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Melitz, Jacques & Toubal, Farid, 2014. "Native language, spoken language, translation and trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(2), pages 351-363.
    2. Murtinu, Samuele & Scalera, Vittoria G., 2016. "Sovereign Wealth Funds' Internationalization Strategies: The Use of Investment Vehicles," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 249-264.
    3. Portes, Richard & Rey, Helene, 2005. "The determinants of cross-border equity flows," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 269-296, March.
    4. James E. Anderson & Eric van Wincoop, 2004. "Trade Costs," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 42(3), pages 691-751, September.
    5. Jacob Lyngsie & Nicolai J. Foss, 2017. "The more, the merrier? Women in top‐management teams and entrepreneurship in established firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(3), pages 487-505, March.
    6. Sharon Belenzon & Niron Hashai & Andrea Patacconi, 2019. "The architecture of attention: Group structure and subsidiary autonomy," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(10), pages 1610-1643, October.
    7. Shai Bernstein & Josh Lerner & Antoinette Schoar, 2013. "The Investment Strategies of Sovereign Wealth Funds," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 27(2), pages 219-238, Spring.
    8. Ricardo G Flores & Ruth V Aguilera, 2007. "Globalization and location choice: an analysis of US multinational firms in 1980 and 2000," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(7), pages 1187-1210, December.
    9. Bergstrand, Jeffrey H, 1985. "The Gravity Equation in International Trade: Some Microeconomic Foundations and Empirical Evidence," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 67(3), pages 474-481, August.
    10. Valentina Marano & Peter Tashman & Tatiana Kostova, 2017. "Escaping the iron cage: Liabilities of origin and CSR reporting of emerging market multinational enterprises," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(3), pages 386-408, April.
    11. Stulz, Rene M. & Williamson, Rohan, 2003. "Culture, openness, and finance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(3), pages 313-349, December.
    12. Jeffrey M Wooldridge, 2010. "Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 2, volume 1, number 0262232588, April.
    13. Laeven, Luc & Chhaochharia, Vidhi, 2008. "Sovereign Wealth Funds: Their Investment Strategies and Performance," CEPR Discussion Papers 6959, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    14. Knill, April & Lee, Bong-Soo & Mauck, Nathan, 2012. "Bilateral political relations and sovereign wealth fund investment," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 108-123.
    15. Hilary, Gilles & Hui, Kai Wai, 2009. "Does religion matter in corporate decision making in America?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(3), pages 455-473, September.
    16. John H Dunning, 1998. "Location and the Multinational Enterprise: A Neglected Factor?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 29(1), pages 45-66, March.
    17. Beugelsdijk, Sjoerd & Jindra, Björn, 2018. "Product innovation and decision-making autonomy in subsidiaries of multinational companies," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(4), pages 529-539.
    18. Gabriel R G Benito & Geir Gripsrud, 1992. "The Expansion of Foreign Direct Investments: Discrete Rational Location Choices or a Cultural Learning Process?," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 23(3), pages 461-476, September.
    19. Peter S Davis & Ashay B Desai & John D Francis, 2000. "Mode of International Entry: An Isomorphism Perspective," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 31(2), pages 239-258, June.
    20. Nan Zhou & Mauro F. Guillén, 2015. "From home country to home base: A dynamic approach to the liability of foreignness," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(6), pages 907-917, June.
    21. Joseph P. H. Fan & T. J. Wong & Tianyu Zhang, 2013. "Institutions and Organizational Structure: The Case of State-Owned Corporate Pyramids," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 29(6), pages 1217-1252, December.
    22. Hernández, Virginia & Nieto, María Jesús, 2015. "The effect of the magnitude and direction of institutional distance on the choice of international entry modes," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 122-132.
    23. William L. Megginson & Veljko Fotak, 2015. "Rise Of The Fiduciary State: A Survey Of Sovereign Wealth Fund Research," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 733-778, September.
    24. Thomas Hutzschenreuter & Johannes C. Voll & Alain Verbeke, 2011. "The Impact of Added Cultural Distance and Cultural Diversity on International Expansion Patterns: A Penrosean Perspective," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(2), pages 305-329, March.
    25. Heather Berry & Mauro F Guillén & Nan Zhou, 2010. "An institutional approach to cross-national distance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(9), pages 1460-1480, December.
    26. Bruce Kogut & Harbir Singh, 1988. "The Effect of National Culture on the Choice of Entry Mode," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 19(3), pages 411-432, September.
    27. Richard D. Wang & J. Myles Shaver, 2016. "The Multifaceted Nature of Competitive Response: Repositioning and New Product Launch as Joint Response to Competition," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 1(3), pages 148-162, September.
    28. Victor Manuel Bennett & Emilie R. Feldman, 2017. "Make Room! Make Room! A Note on Sequential Spinoffs and Acquisitions," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 2(2), pages 100-110, June.
    29. 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.
    30. Mark Grinblatt & Matti Keloharju, 2001. "How Distance, Language, and Culture Influence Stockholdings and Trades," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 56(3), pages 1053-1073, June.
    31. Robert Salomon & Zheying Wu, 2012. "Institutional distance and local isomorphism strategy," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(4), pages 343-367, May.
    32. Faccio, Mara & Lang, Larry H. P., 2002. "The ultimate ownership of Western European corporations," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(3), pages 365-395, September.
    33. Kaufmann, Daniel & Kraay, Aart & Mastruzzi, Massimo, 2010. "The worldwide governance indicators : methodology and analytical issues," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5430, The World Bank.
    34. Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra & Andrew Inkpen & Aldo Musacchio & Kannan Ramaswamy, 2014. "Governments as owners: State-owned multinational companies," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(8), pages 919-942, October.
    35. Sofia A Johan & April Knill & Nathan Mauck, 2013. "Determinants of sovereign wealth fund investment in private equity vs public equity," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 44(2), pages 155-172, February.
    36. Sjoerd Beugelsdijk & Tatiana Kostova & Vincent E. Kunst & Ettore Spadafora & Marc van Essen, 2018. "Cultural Distance and Firm Internationalization," Post-Print hal-02312065, HAL.
    37. Paul Calluzzo & G Nathan Dong & David Godsell, 2017. "Sovereign wealth fund investments and the US political process," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(2), pages 222-243, February.
    38. Richard Williams, 2012. "Using the margins command to estimate and interpret adjusted predictions and marginal effects," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 12(2), pages 308-331, June.
    39. Anderson, James E, 1979. "A Theoretical Foundation for the Gravity Equation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 69(1), pages 106-116, March.
    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. Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra & Anna Grosman & William L. Megginson, 2023. "A review of the internationalization of state-owned firms and sovereign wealth funds: Governments’ nonbusiness objectives and discreet power," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 54(1), pages 78-106, February.
    2. Amar, J. & Lecourt, C., 2023. "Sovereign wealth fund governance: A trade-off between internal and external legitimacy," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(6).
    3. Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra & Anna Grosman & Geoffrey T. Wood, 2023. "Cross-country variations in sovereign wealth funds’ transparency," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 6(3), pages 306-329, September.

    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. Arouri, Mohamed & Boubaker, Sabri & Grais, Wafik & Grira, Jocelyn, 2018. "Rationality or politics? The color of black gold money," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 62-76.
    2. Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra & Anna Grosman & William L. Megginson, 2023. "A review of the internationalization of state-owned firms and sovereign wealth funds: Governments’ nonbusiness objectives and discreet power," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 54(1), pages 78-106, February.
    3. Di Wang & Robert J. Weiner & Quan Li & Srividya Jandhyala, 2021. "Leviathan as foreign investor: Geopolitics and sovereign wealth funds," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(7), pages 1238-1255, September.
    4. Amar, J. & Lecourt, C. & Carpantier, J.F., 2022. "GCC Sovereign Wealth Funds: Why do they take control?," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    5. Tang, Ryan W. & Buckley, Peter J., 2022. "Outward foreign direct investment by emerging market multinationals: The directionality of institutional distance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 314-326.
    6. Bahoo, Salman & Alon, Ilan & Paltrinieri, Andrea, 2020. "Sovereign wealth funds: Past, present and future," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    7. Gangi, Francesco & Mustilli, Mario & Varrone, Nicola & Graziano, Domenico, 2023. "Target firms’ characteristics and the effects of sovereign wealth funds’ investments: Does cultural context of SWFs matter?," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    8. Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra & Anna Grosman & Geoffrey T. Wood, 2023. "Cross-country variations in sovereign wealth funds’ transparency," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 6(3), pages 306-329, September.
    9. Palitha Konara & Alexander Mohr, 2019. "Why We Should Stop Using the Kogut and Singh Index," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 59(3), pages 335-354, June.
    10. Sander, Harald & Kleimeier, Stefanie & Heuchemer, Sylvia, 2016. "The resurgence of cultural borders during the financial crisis: The changing geography of Eurozone cross-border depositing," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 12-26.
    11. Fuentelsaz, Lucio & Garrido, Elisabet & Maicas, Juan P., 2020. "The effect of informal and formal institutions on foreign market entry selection and performance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(2).
    12. Gangi, Francesco & Meles, Antonio & Mustilli, Mario & Graziano, Domenico & Varrone, Nicola, 2019. "Do investment determinants and effects vary across sovereign wealth fund categories? A firm-level analysis," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 438-457.
    13. Li, Wen & Guo, Bin & Xu, Gangxiang, 2017. "Making the next move: When does the newness of experience matter in overseas sequential entries of multinational companies?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 908-926.
    14. Daniel Hain & Sofia Johan & Daojuan Wang, 2016. "Determinants of Cross-Border Venture Capital Investments in Emerging and Developed Economies: The Effects of Relational and Institutional Trust," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 138(4), pages 743-764, November.
    15. Jonas Puck & Markus K. Hödl & Igor Filatotchev & Hans-Georg Wolff & Benjamin Bader, 2016. "Ownership mode, cultural distance, and the extent of parent firms’ strategic control over subsidiaries in the PRC," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 33(4), pages 1075-1105, December.
    16. Jelena Trivic & £ukasz Klimczak, 2015. "The determinants of intra-regional trade in the Western Balkans," Zbornik radova Ekonomskog fakulteta u Rijeci/Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Economics and Business, vol. 33(1), pages 37-66.
    17. Debarsy, Nicolas & Gnabo, Jean-Yves & Kerkour, Malik, 2017. "Sovereign wealth funds’ cross-border investments: Assessing the role of country-level drivers and spatial competition," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 68-87.
    18. İlker YAMAN & Ahmet Burçin YERELİ, 2019. "The Political Aspect of Sovereign Wealth Funds," Sosyoekonomi Journal, Sosyoekonomi Society, issue 27(41).
    19. Mingo, Santiago & Junkunc, Marc & Morales, Francisco, 2018. "The interplay between home and host country institutions in an emerging market context: Private equity in Latin America," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(5), pages 653-667.
    20. Aggarwal, Raj & Kearney, Colm & Lucey, Brian, 2012. "Gravity and culture in foreign portfolio investment," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 525-538.

    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:inm:orstsc:v:5:y:2020:i:1:p:39-54. 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: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    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.