IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bpj/buspol/v15y2013i2p163-186n2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Building institutional capacity: from pervasive individualism to sustained coordination in small firm sectors

Author

Listed:
  • Evans Ana Maria

    (Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal)

Abstract

The small-business sector faces a persistent dilemma: small firms often lack the human skills and financial resources to modernize and compete. How, then, can small firms overcome collective action problems to forge sector-wide modernization? This paper examines the political dynamics and the process of institutional change that underpin successful industrial upgrading through a comparative, longitudinal analysis of two policy experiments aiming at the modernization of small firm sectors in Portugal. Relying on comparative-historical analysis and process tracing, this study shows that successful industrial upgrading relies on intense and sustained political action, led by strong and stable interest leadership, in the pursuit of well-defined developmental benchmarks, and relying on the implementation of political, organizational and financial strategy according to a specific logic and sequence.

Suggested Citation

  • Evans Ana Maria, 2013. "Building institutional capacity: from pervasive individualism to sustained coordination in small firm sectors," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 15(2), pages 163-186, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:buspol:v:15:y:2013:i:2:p:163-186:n:2
    DOI: 10.1515/bap-2012-0041
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1515/bap-2012-0041
    Download Restriction: For access to full text, subscription to the journal or payment for the individual article is required.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1515/bap-2012-0041?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lane, Christel, 1997. "The Social Regulation of Inter-firm Relations in Britain and Germany: Market Rules, Legal Norms and Technical Standards," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 21(2), pages 197-215, March.
    2. Aggarwal, Vinod K., 2001. "Corporate Market and Nonmarket Strategies in Asia: A Conceptual Framework," Business and Politics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 3(2), pages 89-108, August.
    3. Aggarwal Vinod K., 2001. "Corporate Market and Nonmarket Strategies in Asia: A Conceptual Framework," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 3(2), pages 1-21, August.
    4. Whitley, Richard, 2007. "Business Systems and Organizational Capabilities: The Institutional Structuring of Competitive Competences," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199205189.
    5. Jeffrey Haydu, 1999. "Two Logics of Class Formation? Collective Identities among Proprietary Employers, 1880-1900," Politics & Society, , vol. 27(4), pages 507-527, December.
    6. James H. Love & Stephen Roper, 2004. "The organisation of innovation: collaboration, cooperation and multifunctional groups in UK and German manufacturing," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 28(3), pages 379-395, May.
    7. Martin, Cathie Jo, 2005. "Corporatism from the Firm Perspective: Employers and Social Policy in Denmark and Britain," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 35(1), pages 127-148, January.
    8. Gerald A. McDermott, 2007. "The Politics of Institutional Renovation and Economic Upgrading: Recombining the Vines That Bind in Argentina," Politics & Society, , vol. 35(1), pages 103-144, March.
    9. Bowman,John R., 1989. "Capitalist Collective Action," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521362658, September.
    10. Boix, Carles & Posner, Daniel N., 1998. "Social Capital: Explaining Its Origins and Effects on Government Performance," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 28(4), pages 686-693, October.
    11. Duvanova,Dinissa, 2013. "Building Business in Post-Communist Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107030169, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Cosmina Lelia Voinea & Magdelijn Emaus, 2018. "The Effect of Nonmarket Capabilities on Firm Performance: How Knowledge and Capabilities Accumulated from Nonmarket Arenas Contribute to Firm Performance," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 11(1), pages 1-18, January.
    2. Justine Kyove & Katerina Streltsova & Ufuoma Odibo & Giuseppe T. Cirella, 2021. "Globalization Impact on Multinational Enterprises," World, MDPI, vol. 2(2), pages 1-15, April.
    3. Solís Mireya, 2013. "Business advocacy in Asian PTAs: a model of selective corporate lobbying with evidence from Japan," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 15(1), pages 87-116, March.
    4. A. Arrighetti & G. Seravalli & G. Wolleb, 2001. "Social Capital, Institutions and Collective Action Between Firms," Economics Department Working Papers 2001-EP08, Department of Economics, Parma University (Italy).
    5. van Driel, Hugo, 2000. "Collusion in transport: group effects in a historical perspective," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 385-404, April.
    6. Martin Gächter & David A. Savage & Benno Torgler, 2009. "Retaining the Thin Blue Line: What Shapes Workers' Intentions not to Quit the Current Work Environment," Working Papers 2010-05, Faculty of Economics and Statistics, Universität Innsbruck, revised Mar 2010.
    7. Stephen Roper & Nola Hewitt-Dundas, 2006. "International Innovation Comparisons: Insight or Illusion?," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 24(3), pages 385-401, June.
    8. Loris Guery & Anne Stevenot & Geoffrey T. Wood & Chris Brewster, 2017. "The Impact of Private Equity on Employment: The Consequences of Fund Country of Origin—New Evidence from France," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(4), pages 723-750, October.
    9. Yakovlev, A. & Freinkman, L. & Ivanov, D., 2018. "New Opportunities and Instruments of Regional Structural Policy," Journal of the New Economic Association, New Economic Association, vol. 39(3), pages 162-170.
    10. Samuel Garrido, 2021. "Inequality and conflict as drivers of cooperation: the location of wine cooperatives in pre-1936 Spain," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 15(2), pages 443-476, May.
    11. Markus Leibrecht & Hans Pitlik, 2014. "Generalised Trust, Institutional and Political Constraints on the Executive and Deregulation of Markets," WIFO Working Papers 481, WIFO.
    12. Goeschl, Timo & Jarke, Johannes, 2014. "Trust, but verify? When trustworthiness is observable only through (costly) monitoring," WiSo-HH Working Paper Series 20, University of Hamburg, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, WISO Research Laboratory.
    13. Kouvavas, Omiros, 2013. "Political Budget Cycles Revisited, the Case for Social Capital," MPRA Paper 57504, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 15 Sep 2013.
    14. Natalia Letki, 2008. "Does Diversity Erode Social Cohesion? Social Capital and Race in British Neighbourhoods," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 56(1), pages 99-126, March.
    15. Dimi Jottier & Bruno Heyndels, 2012. "Does social capital increase political accountability? An empirical test for Flemish municipalities," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 150(3), pages 731-744, March.
    16. James Love & Stephen Roper, 2009. "Organizing the Innovation Process: Complementarities in Innovation Networking," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(3), pages 273-290.
    17. Qian, Nancy & Padró i Miquel, Gerard & Yao, Yang & Xu, Yiqing, 2015. "Making Democracy Work: Culture, Social Capital and Elections in China," CEPR Discussion Papers 10515, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    18. Gila Menahem & Gideon Doron & David Itzhak Haim, 2011. "Bonding and Bridging Associational Social Capital and the Financial Performance of Local Authorities in Israel," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(5), pages 659-681, June.
    19. Iuliana Precupetu & M. Precupetu, 2013. "GINI Country Report: Growing Inequalities and their Impacts in Romania," GINI Country Reports romania, AIAS, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies.
    20. Di Liberto, Adriana & Sideri, Marco, 2015. "Past dominations, current institutions and the Italian regional economic performance," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 12-41.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:bpj:buspol:v:15:y:2013:i:2:p:163-186:n:2. 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: Peter Golla (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.degruyter.com .

    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.