IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v88y2018icp123-131.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Policy risk, distance, and private participation projects in Latin America

Author

Listed:
  • Jiménez, Alfredo
  • Salvaj, Erica
  • Lee, Jeoung Yul

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate how differences in policy risk levels between the home and the host country affect private participation projects. While traditionally distance has been associated with obstacles and challenges adversely affecting investments, a recent body of literature emphasizes the potential positive effects of distance. Drawing on a sample of 3971 projects from 1990 to 2013 in 21 Latin American host countries from 47 home countries, we find a strong positive effect for higher distance in absolute terms. However, our results also show that distance in nominal terms has no significant effect, pointing to a potentially confounding effect between positive and negative distance.

Suggested Citation

  • Jiménez, Alfredo & Salvaj, Erica & Lee, Jeoung Yul, 2018. "Policy risk, distance, and private participation projects in Latin America," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 123-131.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:88:y:2018:i:c:p:123-131
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.03.017
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296318301450
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.03.017?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. Rosalie L Tung & Alain Verbeke, 2010. "Beyond Hofstede and GLOBE: Improving the quality of cross-cultural research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(8), pages 1259-1274, October.
    2. Alfredo Jiménez & Juan Durán & Juan de la Fuente, 2011. "Political risk as a determinant of investment by Spanish multinational firms in Europe," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(8), pages 789-793.
    3. Srilata Zaheer & Margaret Spring Schomaker & Lilach Nachum, 2012. "Distance without direction: Restoring credibility to a much-loved construct," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(1), pages 18-27, January.
    4. 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.
    5. Jiang, Yi & Peng, Mike W. & Yang, Xiaohua & Mutlu, Canan C., 2015. "Privatization, governance, and survival: MNE investments in private participation projects in emerging economies," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 294-301.
    6. Dikova, Desislava, 2009. "Performance of foreign subsidiaries: Does psychic distance matter?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 38-49, February.
    7. Jiménez, Alfredo & Luis-Rico, Isabel & Benito-Osorio, Diana, 2014. "The influence of political risk on the scope of internationalization of regulated companies: Insights from a Spanish sample," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 301-311.
    8. Anand, Jaideep & Brenes, Estaban R. & Karnani, Aneel & Rodriquez, Arnoldo, 2006. "Strategic responses to economic liberalization in emerging economies: Lessons from experience," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 59(3), pages 365-371, March.
    9. Bonardi, Jean-Philippe & Holburn, Guy & Vanden Bergh, Rick, 2006. "Nonmarket performance: Evidence from U.S. electric utilities," MPRA Paper 14437, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Andrea Boellis & Sergio Mariotti & Alessandro Minichilli & Lucia Piscitello, 2016. "Family involvement and firms’ establishment mode choice in foreign markets," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(8), pages 929-950, October.
    11. Cuervo-Cazurra, Alvaro, 2007. "Sequence of value-added activities in the multinationalization of developing country firms," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 13(3), pages 258-277, September.
    12. Cuervo-Cazurra, Alvaro, 2008. "The multinationalization of developing country MNEs: The case of multilatinas," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 138-154, June.
    13. Jonathan P. Doh & Thomas Lawton & Tazeeb Rajwani, 2012. "Advancing Nonmarket Strategy Research : Institutional Perspectives in a Changing World," Post-Print hal-02276718, HAL.
    14. Disdier, Anne-Celia & Mayer, Thierry, 2004. "How different is Eastern Europe? Structure and determinants of location choices by French firms in Eastern and Western Europe," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 280-296, June.
    15. Chaim Meyer Ehrman & Morris Hamburg, 1986. "Information Search for Foreign Direct Investment Using Two-Stage Country Selection Procedures: A New Procedure†," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 17(2), pages 93-116, June.
    16. Bucheli, Marcelo & Salvaj, Erica, 2013. "Reputation and Political Legitimacy: ITT in Chile, 1927–1972," Business History Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 87(4), pages 729-756, January.
    17. William P. Wan, 2005. "Country Resource Environments, Firm Capabilities, and Corporate Diversification Strategies," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(1), pages 161-182, January.
    18. Margarethe F. Wiersema & Harry P. Bowen, 2009. "The use of limited dependent variable techniques in strategy research: issues and methods," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(6), pages 679-692, June.
    19. Günter K Stahl & Rosalie L Tung & Tatiana Kostova & Mary Zellmer-Bruhn, 2016. "Widening the lens: Rethinking distance, diversity, and foreignness in international business research through positive organizational scholarship," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(6), pages 621-630, August.
    20. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 2009. "The Uppsala internationalization process model revisited: From liability of foreignness to liability of outsidership," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(9), pages 1411-1431, December.
    21. Manuela Rozalia Gabor, 2009. "Typological analysis as analysis method of marketing data," Management & Marketing, Economic Publishing House, vol. 4(4), Winter.
    22. Jingoo Kang & Jeoung Yul Lee & Pervez N. Ghauri, 2017. "The Interplay of Mahalanobis Distance and Firm Capabilities on MNC Subsidiary Exits from Host Countries," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 379-409, June.
    23. Guy L. F. Holburn & Bennet A. Zelner, 2010. "Political capabilities, policy risk, and international investment strategy: evidence from the global electric power generation industry," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(12), pages 1290-1315, December.
    24. Li Dai & Lorraine Eden & Paul W Beamish, 2013. "Place, space, and geographical exposure: Foreign subsidiary survival in conflict zones," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 44(6), pages 554-578, August.
    25. Håkanson, Lars & Ambos, Björn, 2010. "The antecedents of psychic distance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 195-210, September.
    26. Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra & Mehmet Genc, 2008. "Transforming disadvantages into advantages: developing-country MNEs in the least developed countries," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(6), pages 957-979, September.
    27. Luisa Blanco & Robin Grier, 2009. "Long Live Democracy: The Determinants of Political Instability in Latin America," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(1), pages 76-95.
    28. Klaus E Meyer & Arjen Witteloostuijn & Sjoerd Beugelsdijk, 2017. "What’s in a p? Reassessing best practices for conducting and reporting hypothesis-testing research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(5), pages 535-551, July.
    29. Yigang Pan & Lefa Teng & Atipol Bhanich Supapol & Xiongwen Lu & Dan Huang & Zhennan Wang, 2014. "Firms’ FDI ownership: The influence of government ownership and legislative connections," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(8), pages 1029-1043, October.
    30. 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.
    31. Alon, Ilan & Herbert, Theodore T., 2009. "A stranger in a strange land: Micro political risk and the multinational firm," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 127-137.
    32. Jesper Edman, 2016. "Reconciling the advantages and liabilities of foreignness: Towards an identity-based framework," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(6), pages 674-694, August.
    33. W. J. Henisz, 2000. "The Institutional Environment for Economic Growth," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(1), pages 1-31, March.
    34. Oetzel, Jennifer, 2005. "Smaller may be beautiful but is it more risky? Assessing and managing political and economic risk in Costa Rica," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 14(6), pages 765-790, December.
    35. André van Hoorn & Robbert Maseland, 2016. "How institutions matter for international business: Institutional distance effects vs institutional profile effects," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(3), pages 374-381, April.
    36. Dow, Douglas & Ferencikova, Sonia, 2010. "More than just national cultural distance: Testing new distance scales on FDI in Slovakia," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 46-58, February.
    37. Holtbrügge, Dirk & Berg, Nicola & Puck, Jonas F., 2007. "To bribe or to convince? Political stakeholders and political activities in German multinational corporations," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 47-67, February.
    38. Ambos, Björn & Håkanson, Lars, 2014. "The Concept of Distance in International Management Research," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 1-7.
    39. Simeon Djankov, 1999. "Ownership Structure and Enterprise Restructuring in Six Newly Independent States," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 41(1), pages 75-95, April.
    40. Douglas Dow & Amal Karunaratna, 2006. "Developing a multidimensional instrument to measure psychic distance stimuli," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 37(5), pages 578-602, September.
    41. Heather Berry & Mauro F Guillén & Arun S Hendi, 2014. "Is there convergence across countries? A spatial approach," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(4), pages 387-404, May.
    42. Lawton, Thomas & Rajwani, Tazeeb & Doh, Jonathan, 2013. "The antecedents of political capabilities: A study of ownership, cross-border activity and organization at legacy airlines in a deregulatory context," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 228-242.
    43. Joardar, Arpita & Wu, Sibin, 2017. "Liabilities and benefits: Examining the two sides of the foreignness coin from entrepreneurial perspective," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 1157-1167.
    44. Pankaj Ghemawat & Tarun Khanna, 1998. "The Nature of Diversified Business Groups: A Research Design and Two Case Studies," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(1), pages 35-61, March.
    45. Trąpczyński, Piotr & Banalieva, Elitsa R., 2016. "Institutional difference, organizational experience, and foreign affiliate performance: Evidence from Polish firms," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(5), pages 826-842.
    46. Ramamurti, Ravi & Doh, Jonathan P., 2004. "Rethinking foreign infrastructure investment in developing countries," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 151-167, May.
    47. Alfredo Jiménez & Marcello Russo & Johannes Marcelus Kraak & Guoliang Frank Jiang, 2017. "Corruption and Private Participation Projects in Central and Eastern Europe," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 57(5), pages 775-792, October.
    48. Jonathan P Doh & Hildy Teegen & Ram Mudambi, 2004. "Balancing private and state ownership in emerging markets' telecommunications infrastructure: country, industry, and firm influences," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(3), pages 233-250, May.
    49. Kingsley, Allison F. & Noordewier, Thomas G. & Vanden Bergh, Richard G., 2017. "Overstating and understating interaction results in international business research," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 286-295.
    50. Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra, 2008. "The effectiveness of laws against bribery abroad," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(4), pages 634-651, June.
    51. 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.
    52. Pei Sun & Kamel Mellahi & Eric Thun, 2010. "The dynamic value of MNE political embeddedness: The case of the Chinese automobile industry," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(7), pages 1161-1182, September.
    53. 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.
    54. Lilach Nachum & Srilata Zaheer & Shulamith Gross, 2008. "Does It Matter Where Countries Are? Proximity to Knowledge, Markets and Resources, and MNE Location Choices," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 54(7), pages 1252-1265, July.
    55. H Emre Yildiz & Carl F Fey, 2016. "Are the extent and effect of psychic distance perceptions symmetrical in cross-border M&As? Evidence from a two-country study," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(7), pages 830-857, September.
    56. Fatehi, Kamal, 1994. "Capital flight from Latin America as a barometer of political instability," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 187-195, June.
    57. Henisz, Witold J, 2000. "The Institutional Environment for Multinational Investment," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 16(2), pages 334-364, October.
    58. Hutzschenreuter, Thomas & Kleindienst, Ingo & Lange, Sandra, 2014. "Added Psychic Distance Stimuli and MNE Performance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 38-54.
    59. Jiangyong Lu & Xiaohui Liu & Mike Wright & Igor Filatotchev, 2014. "International experience and FDI location choices of Chinese firms: The moderating effects of home country government support and host country institutions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(4), pages 428-449, May.
    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. Bianchi, Constanza & Abu Saleh, Md., 2020. "Investigating SME importer–foreign supplier relationship trust and commitment," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 572-584.
    2. Bianchi, Constanza & Mingo, Santiago & Fernandez, Viviana, 2019. "Strategic management in Latin America: Challenges in a changing world," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 306-309.
    3. Jiménez, Alfredo & Lupton, Nathaniel C., 2021. "Terrorism hazard and infrastructure projects: The moderating role of home experience and institutions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 721-730.
    4. Lee, Jeoung Yul & Jiménez, Alfredo & Choi, Seong-jin & Choi, Yun Hyeong, 2022. "Ideological polarization and corporate lobbying activity: The contingent impact of corruption distance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 448-461.
    5. Fleta-Asín, Jorge & Muñoz, Fernando, 2020. "How does risk transference to private partner impact on public-private partnerships’ success? Empirical evidence from developing economies," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    6. Paul, Justin & Parameswar, Nakul & Sindhani, Mohit & Dhir, Sanjay, 2021. "Use of microblogging platform for digital communication in politics," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 322-331.

    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. Jiménez, Alfredo & Benito-Osorio, Diana & Puck, Jonas & Klopf, Patricia, 2018. "The multi-faceted role of experience dealing with policy risk: The impact of intensity and diversity of experiences," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 102-112.
    2. Klopf, Patricia & Nell, Phillip C., 2018. "How “space” and “place” influence subsidiary host country political embeddedness," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 186-197.
    3. Sjoerd Beugelsdijk & Björn Ambos & Phillip C Nell, 2018. "Conceptualizing and measuring distance in international business research: Recurring questions and best practice guidelines," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(9), pages 1113-1137, December.
    4. Conti, Claudio Ramos & Parente, Ronaldo & de Vasconcelos, Flávio C., 2016. "When distance does not matter: Implications for Latin American multinationals," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(6), pages 1980-1992.
    5. Konara, Palitha & Shirodkar, Vikrant, 2018. "Regulatory Institutional Distance and MNCs' Subsidiary Performance: Climbing up Vs. Climbing Down the Institutional Ladder," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 333-347.
    6. Drogendijk, Rian & Martín Martín, Oscar, 2015. "Relevant dimensions and contextual weights of distance in international business decisions: Evidence from Spanish and Chinese outward FDI," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 133-147.
    7. Jane W. Lu & Hao Ma & Xuanli Xie, 2022. "Foreignness research in international business: Major streams and future directions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(3), pages 449-480, April.
    8. Jiménez, Alfredo & Jiang, Guoliang Frank & Petersen, Bent & Gammelgaard, Jens, 2019. "Within-country religious diversity and the performance of private participation infrastructure projects," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 13-25.
    9. Xu, Kai & Hitt, Michael A. & Brock, David & Pisano, Vincenzo & Huang, Lulu S.R., 2021. "Country institutional environments and international strategy: A review and analysis of the research," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(1).
    10. Tatiana Kostova & Sjoerd Beugelsdijk & W. Richard Scott & Vincent E. Kunst & Chei Hwee Chua & Marc Essen, 2020. "The construct of institutional distance through the lens of different institutional perspectives: Review, analysis, and recommendations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(4), pages 467-497, June.
    11. Hutzschenreuter, Thomas & Harhoff, Philippa-Luisa, 2021. "The accelerating effect of institutional environment unfamiliarity on subsidiary portfolio expansion in a new host country," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(3).
    12. Magnani, Giovanna & Zucchella, Antonella & Floriani, Dinorá Eliete, 2018. "The logic behind foreign market selection: Objective distance dimensions vs. strategic objectives and psychic distance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 1-20.
    13. García-Muiña, Fernando E. & Romero-Martínez, Ana M. & Kabbara, Diala, 2020. "Does religion influence location choice in the hotel industry?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(2).
    14. Trąpczyński, Piotr & Halaszovich, Tilo F. & Piaskowska, Dorota, 2020. "The role of perceived institutional distance in foreign ownership level decisions of new MNEs," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 435-449.
    15. Beugelsdijk, Sjoerd & Nell, Phillip C. & Ambos, Björn, 2017. "When Do Distance Effects Become Empirically Observable? An Investigation in the Context of Headquarters Value Creation for Subsidiaries," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 255-267.
    16. 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.
    17. Wei, Qiao & Li, Wen Helena & De Sisto, Marco & Gu, Jinlong, 2020. "What types of top management teams' experience matter to the relationship between political hazards and foreign subsidiary performance?," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(4).
    18. Jiménez, Alfredo & Bayraktar, Secil, 2021. "Hello! Namaste? Within-country linguistic diversity and infrastructure projects in emerging markets," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 86-97.
    19. Ana M. Romero-Martínez & Fernando E. García-Muiña & Agnieszka Chidlow & Jorma Larimo, 2019. "Formal and Informal Institutional Differences Between Home and Host Country and Location Choice: Evidence from the Spanish Hotel Industry," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 59(1), pages 41-65, February.
    20. Alfredo Jiménez & Diana Benito-Osorio & Carmen Palmero-Cámara, 2015. "Learning from Risky Environments: Global Diversification Strategies of Spanish MNEs," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 55(4), pages 485-509, August.

    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:eee:jbrese:v:88:y:2018:i:c:p:123-131. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    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.