Institutional Determinism and Political Strategies: An Empirical Investigation
Zhilong Tian1,
Taïeb Hafsi2*,
and
Wei Wu1
1 Huazhong University of Science and Technology
2 HEC, Montreal
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: taieb.hafsi{at}hec.ca.
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Abstract |
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This article offers a rare study of the content and performance of political strategies in Chinas highly institutionalized setting. A conceptual framework based on institutional theory findings is proposed to develop a set of expected political behavior. This is then confronted to data from a convenient sample of 233 firms. The results show that there are indeed recognizable patterns of political strategy, most of which are bent by the strong institutional environment toward accommodation rather than confrontation or defiance. The strategies identified were found to be related to the nature of the firms available resources and to the firms ability to extract benefits or bend the governments behavior in their favor.