摘要:在高度不確定的環境中,與政府建立聯繫是企業應對外部風險並獲取資源的重要途徑。政治關係之研究指出與政治關聯的企業減少了與組織合法性的擔憂,同時獲得專有的資源與資訊以及對他們有利的政策。在這項研究中,對於政府關係下的特殊價值越來越受到關注,該聯繫取決於國家制度背景,如制度變遷、政府體制變化以及經濟發展政治關係下的特殊價值。此一研究指出,在某些制度背景下,政治關係可能會成為一整負擔,同時對企業策略產生負面影響。
為了擴展企業政治聯繫於不同制度下有不同結果之觀點,本研究以政治衝突與經濟合作的國家二元關係作為制度環境形式來檢驗。隨著經濟、社會及文化領域的跨境交流與日俱增,超國家的環境對企業國際經濟交流的重要性也隨之增加。母國與地主國之間的國家關係可能是最顯著的形式。到目前為止,現有的研究已分別看待母國及地主國機構,並且將重點放在國內機構上,或者關注於兩機構之間的距離對企業跨境活動產生的可能影響。
尤其國家間的政治衝突如軍事爭端、外交衝突以及人道主義對抗,都成為超國家制度重要組成部分。國家間的政治關係在企業跨境活動中至關重要,因其彼此的政治衝突會增加環境不確定的風險以及產生不利的監管誘因,進而影響企業策略的決定。此外,制度主義的研究中提出了「制度邏輯」的概念,亦即「社會主要原則以及引導社會行動」。作為一個理所當然的彈性社會處方,機構邏輯構成了一個制度背景。因此,當兩國經歷政治衝突時,企業對夥伴國會有負面的態度,同時也會擔心政治威脅以及潛在夥伴的機會主義行為,而這些將會妨害跨境活動。
本文著重於研究政治關聯於建立跨國聯盟有效性變化。我們以制度研究為基礎,核心論點是當國家間的政治衝突提高,政治介入的企業將會擴張跨國聯盟,因為政治關係的緩衝機制被增強,以減少環境的波動並引發政府的支持,例如精準的資訊以及合法係性。本文藉由調查經濟合作以觀察多種制度邏輯的性質,近一步發展我們的觀點。由於經濟合作以多元的經濟誘因、優惠的條例以及對夥伴國家積極的態度,促使友好的投資環境的產生,經濟領域的邏輯將會與政治領域相衝突。在此複雜的制度環境下,我們認為企業於跨國政治關係結盟之政治關連有效性,將會因經濟合作而得到緩解,會有此現象是因經濟合作由於其對經濟活動的直接影響而成為公司運作的核心邏輯。
Abstract: In a highly uncertain environment, forging ties to the government is an important way for firms to address the risk of external risk and secure resources. Political tie research suggests that politically embedded firms reduce concerns about organizational legitimacy, and obtain exclusive resources and information, and favorable policies for them. In this research stream, growing interest is paid to the contingent value of political ties depending on national institutional context such as institutional transition, government regime changes, and economic development. This line of research suggests that in certain institutional context, political ties can become a liability and have negative effects on firms’ strategy.
To extend the idea of different outcomes of firms’ political ties in varying institutional contexts, this study examines nation-dyadic-specific relations including both political conflict and economic cooperation as one form of institutional environment. As tremendous cross-border exchanges happen in economic, social and cultural domains, supra-national environment becomes more important to govern firms’ international economic exchanges. Inter-state relations between home and host country can be the most salient form of international institution. To dates, existing studies have treated a home and a host country institution separately and focus on domestic institution, or examined the possible effect of the distance between the two countries’ institutions on firms’ cross-border activities.
In particular, inter-state political conflict such as military disputes, diplomatic conflicts and humanitarian confrontations become a critical constitute for supra-national institutional context. Political relationship between countries matter in firms’ cross-border activities because the conflicting political relations between countries affect firms’ strategic decision-makings by increasing risk of environmental uncertainty and generating unfavorable regulatory incentives. Moreover, studies in institutionalism suggest the concept of ‘institutional logics’, which refers to “master principles of society and guide social action”. As taken-for-granted resilient social prescription, institutional logics constitute an institutional context. Thus, when two countries experience inter-state political conflict, firms will have negative attitude and mindset about partner country and concerns about political hazards and potential partners’ opportunistic behavior, which will hamper cross-border activities.
Our focus is to examine how the effectiveness of political ties in establishing cross-border alliances varies depending on the inter-state institutional . Drawn upon institutional studies, our core argument is that as inter-state political conflict escalates, politically embedded firms will expand cross-border alliance because political ties’ buffering mechanism is enhanced in order to reduce environmental fluctuations and elicit government support such as accurate information and legitimacy. We further develop our idea by looking at the nature of multi institutional logics by investigating economic cooperation. As economic cooperation fosters amicable environment for investment through diverse economic incentives and favorable regulations as well as positive mindset about partner country, cooperation logic in economic domain will collide with conflict logic in political domain. In such complex institutional context, we argue that the effectiveness of firms’ political ties on cross-border alliance in the context of inter-state political relations will be mitigated by economic cooperation. This happens because economic cooperation becomes a core logic of firms’ operation due to its immediate and direct impact on economic activities.