Abstract
Multinational enterprise (MNE) investments in developing countries can induce a range of positive and negative impacts on host economies; the international business literature has tended to emphasize the former. Drawing from research on community informal institutions and institutional ecology, we explore the potential negative impacts of MNE investments on rural areas of developing countries. Specifically, we examine the impacts of foreign MNE land acquisitions for natural-resource-seeking purposes on the rural population by studying rural communities and their informal institutions. We find that land acquisitions by foreign MNEs weaken community informal institutions and, as a consequence, exacerbate rural poverty. Our research adds to the literature on the negative impact of MNE investments and provides additional perspectives on the role of informal institutions and institutional theory more broadly.
French
Les investissements des entreprises multinationales (EMN) dans les pays en développement peuvent avoir une série d'impacts positifs et négatifs sur les économies d'accueil ; la littérature en IB a eu tendance à mettre l'accent sur les premiers. En nous inspirant de recherches sur les institutions communautaires informelles et l'écologie institutionnelle, nous explorons les impacts négatifs potentiels des investissements des EMN sur les zones rurales des pays en développement. Plus précisément, nous examinons les impacts des acquisitions de terres par les EMN étrangères - à des fins de recherche de ressources naturelles - sur la population rurale en étudiant les communautés rurales et leurs institutions informelles. Nous constatons que les acquisitions de terres par les EMN étrangères affaiblissent les institutions informelles communautaires et, par conséquent, exacerbent la pauvreté rurale. Notre recherche complète la littérature sur l'impact négatif des investissements des EMN et fournit des perspectives supplémentaires sur le rôle des institutions informelles et plus largement la théorie institutionnelle.
Spanish
Las inversiones de las empresas multinacionales en países en vía de desarrollo pueden inducir una variedad de impactos positivos y negativos en las economías anfitrionas; la literatura de negocios internacionales ha tenido a enfatizar el último. Basándonos en la investigación sobre instituciones comunitarias informales y la ecología institucional, exploramos los impactos negativos potenciales de las inversiones de las empresas multinacionales en zonas rurales en países en desarrollo. Específicamente, examinamos los impactos en la población rural de las adquisiciones de tierras por parte de las multinacionales extranjeras con el propósito de búsqueda de recursos naturales mediante el estudio de las comunidades rurales y sus instituciones informales. Encontramos que las adquisiciones de tierra por empresas multinacionales extranjeras debilitan las instituciones comunitarias informales y como consecuencia, agrava la pobreza rural. Nuestra investigación contribuye a la literatura sobre los impactos negativos de las inversiones de las empresas multinacionales y provee perspectivas adicionales sobre el rol de las instituciones informales y la teoría institucional en general.
Portuguese
Investimentos em empresas multinacionais (MNE) em países em desenvolvimento podem induzir uma série de impactos positivos e negativos nas economias anfitriãs; a literatura em IB tende a enfatizar o primeiro. Com base em pesquisas sobre instituições informais comunitárias e ecologia institucional, exploramos os potenciais impactos negativos dos investimentos de MNE em áreas rurais de países em desenvolvimento. Especificamente, examinamos os impactos de aquisições de terras feitas por MNE estrangeiras para fins de busca de recursos naturais na população rural, estudando as comunidades rurais e suas instituições informais. Descobrimos que aquisições de terras por MNEs estrangeiras enfraquecem instituições comunitárias informais e, como consequência, exacerba a pobreza rural. Nossa pesquisa contribui para a literatura sobre o impacto negativo de investimentos de MNE e fornece perspectivas adicionais sobre o papel das instituições informais e da teoria institucional de forma mais ampla.
Chinese
跨国企业 (MNE) 在发展中国家里的投资能对东道国经济产生一系列正面和负面影响; IB文献倾向于强调前者。通过借鉴对社区非正式制度和制度生态学的研究, 我们探索了MNE投资对发展中国家农村地区的潜在负面影响。具体而言, 我们通过调查农村社区及其非正式制度, 研究了外国MNE为寻求自然资源的土地购买对农村人口的影响。我们发现, 外国MNE的土地收购削弱了社区的非正式制度, 因此加剧了农村贫困。我们的研究为有关MNE投资的负面影响的文献做出了贡献, 并为非正式制度和制度理论的作用提供了另外的视角。
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Acknowledgements
We thank JT Li for his editorial guidance and three anonymous reviewers for their invaluable feedback in the review process of this paper. We also thank all Special Issue Editors and participants for supportive comments at the JIBS SI workshop. Part of this research was conducted while Camille Meyer was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for Social and Sustainable Innovation (CSSI) at the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria, Canada. CSSI receives funding from Newmont Goldcorp Inc. All errors remain ours.
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Accepted by Jiatao Li, Area Editor, 17 September 2020. This article has been with the authors for four revisions.
Appendices
Appendix 1: List of countries
Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Note: These countries all have experienced at least one instance of land acquisition. Not all countries appear in our models due to the availability of data surrounding rural poverty, but each has experienced land acquisitions, so we include them in this list.
Appendix 2: List of intentions for MNE land acquisitions
Intentions of MNEs |
Number (primary intention) |
---|---|
Agri – unspecified |
451 |
Biofuels |
481 |
Conservation |
53 |
Food crops |
913 |
For carbon sequestration |
24 |
For wood and fiber |
221 |
Forest – unspecified |
18 |
Livestock |
180 |
Non-food agricultural commodities |
178 |
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Brandl, K., Moore, E., Meyer, C. et al. The impact of multinational enterprises on community informal institutions and rural poverty. J Int Bus Stud 53, 1133–1152 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-020-00400-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-020-00400-3