IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/respol/v51y2022i1s0048733321001670.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The bright and dark sides of institutional intermediaries: Industry associations and small-firm innovation

Author

Listed:
  • Yao, Nengzhi(Chris)
  • Guo, Qiaozhe
  • Tsinopoulos, Christos

Abstract

Institutional intermediaries are often seen by governments as avenues for increasing firm level innovativeness. This is because they can provide both information and legitimacy, which enable access to government support. Yet, close engagement with intermediaries may also encourage political intervention, especially in the context of emerging markets. Using a unique dataset which consists of the Chinese Micro- and Small- Enterprise Survey (CMES) and the National Economic Research Institute (NERI), we explore the roles of government support and political intervention in the relationship between institutional linkages and firm innovativeness. We find that government support, in the form of tax benefits, and political intervention mediate the relationship between institutional linkages and firm innovativeness. We also find that this relationship is contingent upon the degree of institutional development within which firms operate. Our findings therefore contribute to the burgeoning literature that examines the effects of institutional intermediaries on innovation by exploring both their bright and dark sides. We discuss the implications of these findings for institutional intermediary research, institutional theory and innovation literature and offer advice to policymakers and managers looking at improving innovativeness.

Suggested Citation

  • Yao, Nengzhi(Chris) & Guo, Qiaozhe & Tsinopoulos, Christos, 2022. "The bright and dark sides of institutional intermediaries: Industry associations and small-firm innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(1).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:51:y:2022:i:1:s0048733321001670
    DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2021.104370
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048733321001670
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.respol.2021.104370?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. Yan Zhang & Haiyang Li, 2010. "Innovation search of new ventures in a technology cluster: the role of ties with service intermediaries," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(1), pages 88-109, January.
    2. Daniel Erian Armanios & Charles E. Eesley & Jizhen Li & Kathleen M. Eisenhardt, 2017. "How entrepreneurs leverage institutional intermediaries in emerging economies to acquire public resources," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(7), pages 1373-1390, July.
    3. Zvi Griliches, 1998. "Patent Statistics as Economic Indicators: A Survey," NBER Chapters, in: R&D and Productivity: The Econometric Evidence, pages 287-343, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Howells, Jeremy, 2006. "Intermediation and the role of intermediaries in innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 715-728, June.
    5. Watkins, Andrew & Papaioannou, Theo & Mugwagwa, Julius & Kale, Dinar, 2015. "National innovation systems and the intermediary role of industry associations in building institutional capacities for innovation in developing countries: A critical review of the literature," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(8), pages 1407-1418.
    6. Klaus E. Meyer & Hung Vo Nguyen, 2005. "Foreign Investment Strategies and Sub‐national Institutions in Emerging Markets: Evidence from Vietnam," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(1), pages 63-93, January.
    7. Gautam Ahuja & Riitta Katila, 2001. "Technological acquisitions and the innovation performance of acquiring firms: a longitudinal study," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(3), pages 197-220, March.
    8. Rodolphe Durand & Robert M. Grant & Tammy L. Madsen & Sinziana Dorobantu & Aseem Kaul & Bennet Zelner, 2017. "Nonmarket strategy research through the lens of new institutional economics: An integrative review and future directions," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(1), pages 114-140, January.
    9. Czarnitzki, Dirk & Hanel, Petr & Rosa, Julio Miguel, 2011. "Evaluating the impact of R&D tax credits on innovation: A microeconometric study on Canadian firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 217-229, March.
    10. Johanna Mair & Ignasi Marti & Marc Ventresca, 2012. "Building Inclusive Markets in Rural Bangladesh : How Intermediaries Work Institutional Voids," Post-Print hal-02276707, HAL.
    11. 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.
    12. Jianjun Zhang & Christopher Marquis & Kunyuan Qiao, 2016. "Do Political Connections Buffer Firms from or Bind Firms to the Government? A Study of Corporate Charitable Donations of Chinese Firms," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 27(5), pages 1307-1324, October.
    13. Gautam Ahuja & Sai Yayavaram, 2011. "PERSPECTIVE ---Explaining Influence Rents: The Case for an Institutions-Based View of Strategy," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(6), pages 1631-1652, December.
    14. Wesley D. Sine & Robert J. David & Hitoshi Mitsuhashi, 2007. "From Plan to Plant: Effects of Certification on Operational Start-up in the Emergent Independent Power Sector," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(4), pages 578-594, August.
    15. Haiyang Li & Yan Zhang, 2007. "The role of managers' political networking and functional experience in new venture performance: Evidence from China's transition economy," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(8), pages 791-804, August.
    16. Dang, Jianwei & Motohashi, Kazuyuki, 2015. "Patent statistics: A good indicator for innovation in China? Patent subsidy program impacts on patent quality," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 137-155.
    17. Tarun Khanna & Krishna Palepu, 2000. "Is Group Affiliation Profitable in Emerging Markets? An Analysis of Diversified Indian Business Groups," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 55(2), pages 867-891, April.
    18. Xinshu Zhao & John G. Lynch & Qimei Chen, 2010. "Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and Truths about Mediation Analysis," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 37(2), pages 197-206, August.
    19. Robert N. Eberhart & Charles E. Eesley, 2018. "The dark side of institutional intermediaries: Junior stock exchanges and entrepreneurship," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(10), pages 2643-2665, October.
    20. Jinyong Hahn & Jerry Hausman, 2003. "Weak Instruments: Diagnosis and Cures in Empirical Econometrics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(2), pages 118-125, May.
    21. Pavitt, Keith, 1982. "R&D, patenting and innovative activities : A statistical exploration," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 33-51, February.
    22. Johanna Mair & Ignasi Marti & Marc Ventresca, 2012. "Building Inclusive Markets in Rural Bangladesh : How Intermediaries Work Institutional Voids," Post-Print hal-02312706, HAL.
    23. Bronzini, Raffaello & Piselli, Paolo, 2016. "The impact of R&D subsidies on firm innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 442-457.
    24. Qiao, Peng-hua & Ju, Xiao-feng & Fung, Hung-Gay, 2014. "Industry association networks, innovations, and firm performance in Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 213-228.
    25. Mukherjee, Abhiroop & Singh, Manpreet & Žaldokas, Alminas, 2017. "Do corporate taxes hinder innovation?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(1), pages 195-221.
    26. Haley, Usha C.V. & Haley, George T., 2013. "Subsidies to Chinese Industry: State Capitalism, Business Strategy, and Trade Policy," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199773749.
    27. Mukti Khaire, 2010. "Young and No Money? Never Mind: The Material Impact of Social Resources on New Venture Growth," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(1), pages 168-185, February.
    28. Yanmei Zhu & Xinhua Wittmann & Mike Peng, 2012. "Institution-based barriers to innovation in SMEs in China," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 29(4), pages 1131-1142, December.
    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. Lakshmi Parvathy & Rajalaxmi Kamath, 2024. "Labour Contractors (Thekedaars) to Human Resource Companies: Labour Market Intermediaries in India," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 67(1), pages 197-219, March.
    2. Jian Li & Yang Wang & Nengzhi (Chris) Yao & Xue Cui, 2023. "Exploring the effects of socioemotional wealth on environmental strategies of family firms in China: An integrative perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(8), pages 5368-5381, December.

    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. Zhao, Hongxin & Lu, Jiangyong, 2016. "Contingent value of political capital in bank loan acquisition: Evidence from founder-controlled private enterprises in China," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 153-174.
    2. Charles E. Eesley & Robert N. Eberhart & Bradley R. Skousen & Joseph L. C. Cheng, 2018. "Institutions and Entrepreneurial Activity: The Interactive Influence of Misaligned Formal and Informal Institutions," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 3(2), pages 393-407, June.
    3. Guan, JianCheng & Pang, Lanxin, 2017. "Industry specific effects on innovation performance in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 125-137.
    4. Nathaniel Boso & Joseph Amankwah-Amoah & Dominic Essuman & Oluwaseun E. Olabode & Patience Bruce & Magnus Hultman & James Kofi Kutsoati & Ogechi Adeola, 2023. "Configuring political relationships to navigate host-country institutional complexity: Insights from Anglophone sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 54(6), pages 1055-1089, August.
    5. Chun Yang & Bart Bossink & Peter Peverelli, 2018. "The Value of Business–Government Ties for Manufacturing Firms’ Product Innovation during Institutional Transition in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-27, December.
    6. Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph & Boso, Nathaniel & Kutsoati, James Kofi, 2022. "Institutionalization of protection for intangible assets: Insights from the counterfeit and pirated goods trade in sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(2).
    7. Kou, Mingting & Yang, Yuanqi & Chen, Kaihua, 2020. "The impact of external R&D financing on innovation process from a supply-demand perspective," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 375-387.
    8. Jin Hyung Kim, 2019. "Is your playing field unleveled? U.S. defense contracts and foreign firm lobbying," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(12), pages 1911-1937, December.
    9. Feng Zhang & Haina Zhang & David H. Brown & Xile Yin, 2023. "Innovation and Performance of Manufacturing Firms in Aspirant Markets: An Institutional Environment Approach," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 40(2), pages 435-482, June.
    10. Zhe Cao & Xianwei Shi, 2021. "A systematic literature review of entrepreneurial ecosystems in advanced and emerging economies," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 75-110, June.
    11. Devarakonda, Ramakrishna & Liu, Aqi, 2023. "A legitimacy-based view of the impact of government venture capital on startup innovation: Evidence from a transition economy," Other publications TiSEM 3afc4804-f469-4dd7-bb34-8, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    12. Alisa Sydow & Benedetto Lorenzo Cannatelli & Alessandro Giudici & Mario Molteni, 2022. "Entrepreneurial Workaround Practices in Severe Institutional Voids: Evidence From Kenya," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 46(2), pages 331-367, March.
    13. Du, Jialin & Bai, Tao & Chen, Stephen, 2019. "Integrating corporate social and corporate political strategies: Performance implications and institutional contingencies in China," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 299-316.
    14. Caloffi, Annalisa & Colovic, Ana & Rizzoli, Valentina & Rossi, Federica, 2023. "Innovation intermediaries' types and functions: A computational analysis of the literature," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    15. Aiello, Francesco & Albanese, Giuseppe & Piselli, Paolo, 2019. "Good value for public money? The case of R&D policy," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 1057-1076.
    16. Luo, Lianfa & Cheng, Zhiming & Ye, Qingqing & Cheng, Yanjun & Smyth, Russell & Yang, Zhiqing & Zhang, Le, 2024. "Nonmonetary awards and innovation: Evidence from winning China's Top Brand Contest," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    17. Dziallas, Marisa & Blind, Knut, 2019. "Innovation indicators throughout the innovation process: An extensive literature analysis," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 80, pages 3-29.
    18. Dai, Xiaoyong & Wang, Mengqi, 2024. "Unintended effects of tax incentives on firms’ strategic patenting," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 219(C), pages 1-24.
    19. Sun, Sunny Li & Peng, Mike W. & Lee, Ruby P. & Tan, Weiqiang, 2015. "Institutional open access at home and outward internationalization," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 234-246.
    20. Shuai Wang & Fayyaz Ahmad & Yanlong Li & Nabila Abid & Abbas Ali Chandio & Abdul Rehman, 2022. "The Impact of Industrial Subsidies and Enterprise Innovation on Enterprise Performance: Evidence from Listed Chinese Manufacturing Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, April.

    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:respol:v:51:y:2022:i:1:s0048733321001670. 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/respol .

    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.