Varieties of capitalism and the internationalization of state-owned enterprises
This article sheds light on how the internationalization of state-owned
enterprises is influenced by the state involvement in ownership and by the
home country’s institutional settings. Integrating international business
literature with the debate on the varieties of capitalism, we contend that
state-dominated enterprises internationalize more (less) than privately owned
enterprises in coordinated (liberal) market economies, whereas they exhibit an
inconstant behavior in state-influenced market economies. Our analysis on a
sample of enterprises pertaining to 20 OECD countries supports our
hypotheses. This article adds to studies on the influence of institutions on
firms’ internationalization and has implications for both managers and
policymakers.