CFP: International Entrepreneurship: Do Institutions Matter? (ETP)

[entrepreneurship-phd at lists.uni-due.de]

Call for Papers
Special Issue - Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice 
Affiliated Conference at Northeastern University, Boston
Deadline: May 15, 2008

International Entrepreneurship:  Do Institutions Matter?

A common theoretical lens used in international entrepreneurship
research is institutional theory.  However, too often researchers
default to institutional explanations when they find differences
internationally from the existing research on North America without a
clear rationale as to whether the result is actually due to
institutional differences.  In addition, the institutions cited as the
cause of the outcome typically are those associated with culture.  But
it is not clear if this is just an easy answer to what are in fact very
complex issues, or an accurate reflection of international
entrepreneurship.  

If international entrepreneurship research is to move forward, a better
understanding and foundation for this research must be developed and
elaborated.  This special issue will help build that foundation as the
role of institutions and their impact in entrepreneurship is explored.  

The special issue encourages the examination of a rich set of issues
associated with institutional theory.  For example, the most commonly
used model by researchers is Scott's (2001) formulation of institutional
theory.  However, some applications of this model even in leading
journals are somewhat unusual.  In addition, in sociology this model is
somewhat controversial.  Other, slightly different, formulations exist
in economics (e.g. North, 1990, 2005) and political science (Patriotta &
Lanzara, 2006).  Therefore, the special issue encourages the use and
integration of different institutional views. In addition, the special
issue encourages researchers to focus on a richer set of institutions
than culture. For example, very little research has examined the role of
legal institutions in entrepreneurship research.  

The special issue also encourages researchers to methodologically
examine institutional theory in a better manner.  Too often researchers
have indicated that there is an institutional impact based on single
country studies.  The special issue is particularly encouraging research
which seeks to understand international entrepreneurship and apply
institutional theory through studies of multiple nations.  

This special issue will also encourage authors to examine the role of
institutions in developed economies like those of the United States,
Canada, and Europe.  It is surprising, but rarely has previous research
examined the impact of institutions in shaping entrepreneurial actions
in developed economies. If institutions have the explanatory power
indicated, it would imply that researchers in these developed economies
should be including institutions in their research just as if they were
examining a topic in China or India. 

The topics that articles could address include but are not limited to:

*	Is there evidence of institutional theory impact across
different countries? 
*	Typically, institutions are not assumed by researchers to impact
entrepreneurship in the United States or Europe; at least they seldom
control for such an impact.  Is this an appropriate assumption as we add
more global emphasis to our research? 
*	How do different institutions impact entrepreneurial actions?
Prior research has focused on the impact of culture but there is some
evidence of the impact of other institutions.  What is the impact of
these institutions?  How can researchers segment out that impact? 
*	How do we define institutional theory?  The most widely used
classification is the one developed by Scott, but this classification is
not without controversy.  What is the impact of these different views of
institutional theory? 
*	How do related disciplines, such as economics, sociology, and
political science, employ institutional theory and what can we learn
from them that could be applied in international entrepreneurship
research? 

This special issue will go forward without any preconceived notion of
answers to these questions.  Thus, it is expected that articles from
different perspectives including opposing views will emerge.  Authors of
empirically based articles will be encouraged to have data from multiple
nations to support their arguments.  

Authors who receive an opportunity to revise and resubmit will in turn
be invited to a special conference at Northeastern University in Boston
to be held October 9-10, 2008 at which they will have the opportunity to
present and receive feedback on their papers toward possible publication
in the special issue in early 2010.  The conference will feature leading
scholars including Richard Scott, Max Boisot, Duane Ireland, and Mike
Peng.  Manuscripts should be submitted in ET&P format to
http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/etp by May 15, 2008.  Authors must
specify that the submission is for the special issue on International
Entrepreneurship.

If questions contact:

Special Issue Editors
David Ahlstrom - Chinese University  Hong Kong -
ahlstrom at baf.msmail.cuhk.edu.hk
Garry D. Bruton - Texas Christian University   - g.bruton at tcu.edu
<mailto:g.bruton at tcu.edu>  
Hanlin Li - National Chiao Tung University Taiwan - hlli at cc.nctu.edu.tw
<mailto:hlli at cc.nctu.edu.tw> 

Conference Coordinators 
Sheila Puffer - Northeastern University -  s.puffer at neu.edu
Dan McCarthy - Northeastern University  - da.mccarthy at neu.edu

Sponsored by: 
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Northeastern University, Texas
Christian University