TI in the Institutional Scientific Productivity of Ecuador, Cuba and Colombia

Scientific production is one of the indicators of relevance to measure the efficiency in the institutional environment, which implies a development conditioned in all the sectors from the society to world level. In the same way, the technologies of the information (TI) represent a decisive element for their administration which has experienced a constant growth during the last decades similar to the consolidation of the university studies in the different areas of the knowledge and study modalities. The following article makes a reflection on the base of the concepts and tendencies of the scientific investigation and its linking with the technologies of the information. The production of the investigation was characterized in the countries of Ecuador, Cuba and Colombia, as well as the existent relationship among the investment in technologies of the information and the institutional productivity, which was performed with the analysis of bibliometric indicatives. As a result, it was set down the bases for the theoretical-practical deeping of the investigation. Also, it was verified that the investment in IT focused in articles and scientific magazines, contribute to a better knowledge in academic institutions and that the three countries develop policies to motivate this activity, being Colombia the one with more production in the last ten years, as well as the one that has had bigger expense in IT as percentage of the GDP, which is carried out mainly by the government; although the administration of the knowledge has a transcendental impact for the economic and social development of any country.

Legal protection systems, corporate governance and firm performance: a cross-country comparison

Purpose This paper builds on the “Law and Finance” theory and aims to examine the effect of the legal and institutional environment on the governance–performance relationship in the context of non-US firms. More precisely, it examines whether and how the country’s legal system and the level of investor protection interact with the firm-level corporate governance and affect firm performance. Design/methodology/approach The authors used the “G-Index” governance score developed by the Governance Metrics International rating for a sample of 12,728 firm-year observations from 23 countries over the 2009–2016 period. Findings The results show that the interaction between the country-level institutions and corporate governance system significantly affect the firm performance. In particular, the findings indicate that firms operating in common law countries tend to exhibit a positive valuation effect and higher performance than firms with a comparable corporate governance level operating in civil law countries. More precisely, the authors find that in common law countries, higher investor protection with enhanced corporate governance is associated with better firm performance. However, firms operating in civil law countries with weaker investor protection and a comparable corporate governance level tend to experience a negative valuation effect. Originality/value The findings suggest that the institutional and legal environment is crucial and important in determining the value-maximizing level of good governance practices. Managers and regulators should carefully analyze the cost of these initiatives and should coordinate it with the needs of the country’s legal system. The challenge for the company will be how to adjust its corporate governance strategy according to the needs and demands of the country’s legal system in which the company operates to improve its performance. The regulators should ensure a fit between the specifics of the national legal and institutional environment and corporate governance standards and practices.

Toward Agricultural Intersectionality? Farm Intergenerational Transfer at the Fringe. A Comparative Analysis of the Urban-Influenced Ontario's Greenbelt, Canada and Toulouse InterSCoT, France

Peri-urban agriculture can foster the resilience of metropolitan areas through the provision of local food and other multifunctional agricultural amenities and externalities. However, in peri-urban areas, farming is characterized by strong social uncertainties, which slow the intergenerational transfer of farm operations. In this article, we tackle the beliefs that underlie farmers' decision-making to identify planning opportunities that may support farm intergenerational transfers. The design of an institutionalist conceptual framework based on Keynesian uncertainty and Commonsian Futurity aims to analyze farmers' beliefs associated with farm intergenerational transfer dynamics. The dataset of this comparative analysis includes 41 interviews with farmers involved in animal, cash-crop, and horticulture farming in the urban-influenced Ontario's Greenbelt, Canada, and Toulouse InterSCoT, France, during which farmers designed a mental model of their investment decision-making. The results highlight the dominance of a capital-intensive farm model framed by a money-land-market nexus that slows farm structural change. The subsequent access inequalities, which are based on characteristics of farmers and their farm projects, support the idea of the existence of an agricultural intersectionality. The results also highlight the positive role of the institutional context; when farmers' beliefs are well-aligned with the beliefs that shape their institutional environment, the frictions that slow farm structural change in peri-urban areas are moderated by a shared vision of the future.

The uneven geography of real estate investment by Mainland Chinese state-owned and private enterprises in the U.S.: Local market conditions, migration, and ethnic networks

Since the 2010s, foreign direct investment in real estate (FDIRE) by Mainland Chinese firms has emerged as a major force within global real estate markets, challenging Western investors’ traditional dominance. It is unclear, however, whether Mainland Chinese FDIRE is fueled by the same motivations as those of investors from advanced economies, which to date have represented both the primary investors and main objects of study. One major difference may be that Mainland Chinese investment originates in an institutional environment comprised of strong state intervention and social networks important for fostering business and ethnic ties. To uncover the potentially unique determinants and heterogeneity of Mainland Chinese corporate real estate investors, we build and analyze a state-level panel dataset of Mainland Chinese FDIRE by state-owned enterprises and private enterprises in the U.S. from 2010 to 2017. Our empirical results reveal the importance of Chinese migrants in promoting Mainland Chinese real estate investment, especially by private enterprises. Our findings also demonstrate that at the state level, Mainland Chinese FDIRE exhibits few agglomerative tendencies.

Multinationals, Capital Export, and the Inclusive Development Debate in Developing Countries: The Nigerian Insight

In this paper, we employed a blend of multiple and historical case study design, and a mix of institutional, behavioral, resource-based, and multinational theories, to examine the nature of multinational companies’ (MNC) engagements in local economic development and capital export practices in an African context. Evidence from our Nigerian case analysis (FrieslandCampina, Nigerian Breweries Plc. and Dangote Cement) confirms the proposition that, faced with a similar degree of uncertainty and constrained institutional environment and laying claims to differing sources of competitive advantage, both local and foreign MNCs would repatriate profits and limit exposures to local value chains (LVCs) mainly as a strategy for mitigating country risks and preserving corporate value. Such limited exposures detach MNCs, especially the foreign ones, from the LVCs, and by doing so push them to deeper reliance on the global value chains (GVCs). Linking local businesses to the GVCs is central in the inclusive development (ID) debate essentially because it allows for the redistribution of economic benefits, helps in building a complementary (rather than competitive) relationship between MNCs and local businesses, and facilitates local businesses’ access to international markets. We, therefore, recommend that in pursuit of the inclusive and sustainable development projects in Africa, industrial policies need to be tailored toward stabilizing the policy environment, protecting investments from risk of expropriation, and incentivizing MNCs’ participation in the LVCs.

Institutional intervention in technology innovation: the struggle to increase mobile payment adoption

Purpose Platform-driven business models have witnessed a significant proliferation in emerging economies. Such initiatives bring cost-effective services to a larger section of the population, given the reach of mobile phones. Drawing insights from the institutional theory and theories on the multisided platform, this paper aims to examine the impact of institutional intervention and platform competition on the initial adoption and continuance intention of platform-based payment services. Design/methodology/approach The research model is empirically developed through a unique single-case study covering the high-value banknote demonetization in India that was initiated in November 2016. The research is primarily based on archival data and is supported by a limited number of interviews. Findings The research finds that institutional interventions (in multiple forms) have increased people’s eagerness to use mobile payment. Supportive institutional environment and common citizen’s increased eagerness for mobile payment usage resulted in the emergence of multiple mobile payment platforms. Moreover, competition among multiple payment platforms positively impacts the continuance intention of users to use mobile payments. Originality/value The research supplements the present understanding of the technology adoption challenges. The study highlights that the relative success of technology adoption cannot be attributed only to the users’ economic or technological motives, as embodied in the adoption models. Carefully designed interventions by the institutions can reduce users’ inertia in using new technology and positively influence the emergence of multiple platform-based service providers.