Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Developing theoretically informed typologies in international business: Why we need them, and how to do it

  • Point
  • Published:
Journal of International Business Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this article, we make the case for theoretically/logically derived explanatory typologies and their constituent ideal types, arguing that they can provide us with the basis to further understand dynamic and complex contemporary phenomena. We contrast this approach with dominant analytical strategies in international-business research. We show that the greater use of explanatory typologies and their associated ideal types in international-business research facilitates comparisons of similar cases; illuminates key, but relatively under-researched aspects of phenomenon; promotes theory building; and readily supports configurational analyses. By doing this, explanatory typologies can underpin rigorous analyses, and enhance the relevance of research findings on causally complex contemporary phenomena at different analytical levels.

Résumé

Dans cet article, nous plaidons en faveur des typologies explicatives théoriquement/logiquement dérivées et de leurs types-idéaux constitutifs, en argumentant qu'elles peuvent nous fournir la base d'une meilleure compréhension des phénomènes contemporains dynamiques et complexes. Nous comparons cette approche avec les stratégies analytiques dominantes dans la recherche en affaires internationales. Nous montrons que l'utilisation accrue des typologies explicatives et de leurs types-idéaux associés dans cette dernière facilite les comparaisons de cas similaires; clarifie des aspects clés, mais relativement peu étudiés du phénomène; favorise la construction de théories; et conforte aisément les analyses configurationnelles. Ce faisant, les typologies explicatives peuvent étayer des analyses rigoureuses et renforcer la pertinence des résultats de la recherche sur des phénomènes contemporains causalement complexes à différents niveaux analytiques.

Resumen

En este artículo, abogamos por las tipologías explicativas derivadas de la teoría y la lógica y los tipos ideales que las componen, argumentando que pueden proporcionarnos la base para comprender mejor los dinámicos y complejos fenómenos contemporáneos. Contrastamos este enfoque con las estrategias analíticas dominantes en la investigación sobre negocios internacionales. Mostramos que un mayor uso de las tipologías explicativas y sus tipos ideales asociados en la investigación en negocios internacionales facilita la comparación de casos similares; ilumina aspectos clave, pero relativamente poco investigados del fenómeno; promueve la construcción de teorías; y apoya fácilmente los análisis configuracionales. Al hacer esto, las tipologías explicativas pueden respaldar análisis rigurosos y mejorar la relevancia de los resultados de la investigación sobre fenómenos contemporáneos causalmente complejos en diferentes niveles analíticos.

Resumo

Neste artigo, defendemos tipologias explanatórias derivadas de forma teórica/lógica e seus tipos constituintes ideais, argumentando que elas podem fornecer a base para melhor entender fenômenos contemporâneos dinâmicos e complexos. Comparamos essa abordagem com estratégias analíticas dominantes na pesquisa de negócios internacionais. Mostramos que o maior uso de tipologias explanatórias e seus tipos ideais associados na pesquisa de negócios internacionais facilita a comparação de casos semelhantes; ilumina aspectos chave, mas relativamente pouco estudados do fenômeno; promove a construção de teorias; e suporta prontamente análises configuracionais. Ao fazer isso, tipologias explanatórias podem sustentar análises rigorosas e aumentar a relevância de achados de pesquisa sobre fenômenos contemporâneos causalmente complexos em diferentes níveis análise.

摘要

在本文中, 我们论证了从理论/逻辑上推导出的解释性分类及其成分的理想类型, 认为它们可为我们进一步理解动态和复杂的当代现象提供基础。我们将这种方法与国际商务研究中占主导的分析策略进行了对比。我们表明, 在国际商务研究中更多地使用解释性分类及其相关的理想类型有助于比较类似案例; 阐明现象关键的而研究相对不足的方面; 促进理论建设; 并易于支持配置分析。通过这样做, 解释性分类可支持严格的分析, 并增强研究结果在不同分析水平上对因果复杂的当代现象的相关性。

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adler, N. J. 1983. A typology of management studies involving culture. Journal of International Business Studies, 14(2): 29–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arikan, I., & Shenkar, O. 2021. Neglected elements: What we should cover more of in international business research. Journal of International Business Studies.. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-021-00472-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bailey, K. D. 1973. Monothetic and polythetic typologies and their relation to conceptualization, measurement and scaling. American Sociological Review, 38(1): 18–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bailey, K. D. 1994. Typologies and taxonomies: An introduction to classification techniques. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bartlett, C. A., & Ghoshal, S. 1989. Managing across borders: The transnational solution. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, H. 1940. Constructive typology in the social sciences. American Sociological Review, 5(1): 40–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blalock, H. M. 1969. Theory construction: From verbal to mathematical formulations. Englewood Cliffs: Prenice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bremmer, I. 2010. The end of the free market: Who wins the war between states and corporations? European View, 9(2): 249–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bromley, P., Hwang, H., & Powell, W. W. 2012. Decoupling revisited: Common pressures, divergent strategies in the U.S. nonprofit sector. Management, 15(5): 468–501.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buckley, P. J. 2020. The theory and empirics of the structural reshaping of globalization. Journal of International Business Studies, 51(9): 1580–1592.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buckley, P. J., Clegg, L. J., Voss, H., Cross, A. R., Liu, X., & Zheng, P. 2018. A retrospective and agenda for future research on Chinese outward foreign direct investment. Journal of International Business Studies, 49(1): 4–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buckley, P. J., Doh, J. P., & Benischke, M. H. 2017. Towards a renaissance in international business research? Big questions, grand challenges, and the future of IB scholarship. Journal of International Business Studies, 48(9): 1045–1064.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buckley, P. J., & Lessard, D. R. 2005. Regaining the edge for international business research. Journal of International Business Studies, 36(6): 595–599.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bukharin, N. 1925. Toward a theory of the imperialist state. In R. B. Day (Ed.), Selected writings on the state and the transition to socialism: 6–37. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caligiuri, P., & Tarique, I. 2012. Dynamic cross-cultural competencies and global leadership effectiveness. Journal of World Business, 47(4): 612–622.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collier, D., & Gerring, J. 2009. Introduction. In D. Collier, & J. Gerring (Eds.), Concepts and method in social science: The tradition of Giovanni Sartori: 1–10. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collier, D., LaPorte, J., & Seawright, J. 2008. Typologies: Forming concepts and creating categorical variables. In J. M. Box-Steffensmeier, H. E. Brady, & D. Collier (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of political methodology: 152–173. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collier, D., LaPorte, J., & Seawright, J. 2012. Putting typologies to work: Concept formation, measurement, and analytic rigor. Political Research Quarterly, 65(1): 217–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corley, K. G., & Gioia, D. A. 2011. Building theory about theory building: What constitutes a theoretical contribution? Academy of Management Review, 36(1): 12–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornelissen, J. P. 2017a. Editor’s comments. Developing propositions, a process model or a typology? Addressing the challenges of writing theory without a boilerplate. Academy of Management Review, 42(1): 1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornelissen, J. P. 2017b. Preserving theoretical divergence in management research: Why the explanatory potential of qualitative research should be harnessed rather than suppressed. Journal of Management Studies, 54(3): 368–383.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornelissen, J. P., Höllerer, M. A., & Seidl, D. 2021. What theory is and can be: Forms of theorizing in organizational scholarship. Organization Theory, 2(3): 263178772110203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crouch, C. 2005. Models of capitalism. New Political Economy, 10(4): 439–456.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delbridge, R., & Fiss, P. C. 2013. Editors’ comments: Styles of theorizing and the social organization of knowledge. Academy of Management Review, 38(3): 325–331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doh, J., Budhwar, P., & Wood, G. 2021. Long-term energy transitions and international business: Concepts, theory, methods, and a research agenda. Journal of International Business Studies.. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-021-00405-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dolfsma, W., & Grosman, A. 2019. State capitalism revisited: A review of emergent forms and developments. Journal of Economic Issues, 53(2): 579–586.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doty, D. H., & Glick, W. H. 1994. Typologies as a unique form of theory building: Toward improved understanding and modeling. The Academy of Management Review, 19(2): 230–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doty, D. H., Glick, W. H., & Huber, G. P. 1993. Fit, equifinality, and organizational effectiveness: A test of two configurational theories. Academy of Management Journal, 36(6): 1196–1250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doz, Y. L., & Prahalad, C. K. 1991. Managing DMNCs: A search for a new paradigm. Strategic Management Jounal, 12: 145–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elman, C. 2005. Explanatory typologies in qualitative studies of international politics. International Organization, 59(2): 293–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elman, C. 2009. Explanatory typologies in qualitative analysis. In D. Byrne, & C. C. Ragin (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of case-based methods: 121–131. London: Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Emmet, D., & Macintyre, A. 1970. Introduction. In D. Emmet, & A. Macintyre (Eds.), Sociological theory and philosophical analysis: 9–24. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Fainshmidt, S., Judge, W. Q., Aguilera, R. V., & Smith, A. 2018. Varieties of institutional systems: A contextual taxonomy of understudied countries. Journal of World Business, 53(3): 307–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fainshmidt, S., Smith, A. W., & Aguilera, R. V. 2021. Where do born globals come from? A neoconfigurational institutional theory. Organization Science.. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.1497.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fainshmidt, S., Witt, M. A., Aguilera, R. V., & Verbeke, A. 2020. The contributions of qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to international business research. Journal of International Business Studies, 51(4): 455–466.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farsoun, K. 1975. State capitalism in Algeria. MERIP Reports, 35: 3–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiss, P. C. 2011. Building better causal theories: A fuzzy set approach to typologies in organization research. Academy of Management Journal, 54(2): 393–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiss, P. C., Marx, A., & Cambre, B. 2013. Configurational theory and methods in organizational research: Introduction. Research in the sociology of organizations. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

  • Fortwengel, J., & Jackson, G. 2016. Legitimizing the apprenticeship practice in a distant environment: Institutional entrepreneurship through inter-organizational networks. Journal of World Business, 51(6): 895–909.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furnari, S., Crilly, D., Misangyi, V. F., Greckhamer, T., Fiss, P. C., & Aguilera, R. 2021. Capturing causal complexity: Heuristics for configurational theorizing. Academy of Management Review, 46: 778–799.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, A. L., & Bennett, A. 2005. Case studies and theory development. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerhardt, U. 1994. The use of Weberian ideal-type methodology in qualitative data interpretation: An outline for ideal-type analysis. Bulletin De Méthodologie Sociologique, 45(1): 74–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerring, J. 2012. Mere description. British Journal of Political Science, 42(4): 721–746.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerring, J., Pemstein, D., & Skaaning, S. E. 2021. An ordinal, concept-driven approach to measurement: The lexical scale. Sociological Methods and Research, 50(2): 778–811.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greckhamer, T., Furnari, S., Fiss, P. C., & Aguilera, R. V. 2018. Studying configurations with qualitative comparative analysis: Best practices in strategy and organization research. Strategic Organization, 16(4): 482–495.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hagenaars, J. A., & Halman, L. C. 1989. Searching for ideal types: The potentialities of latent class analysis. European Sociological Review, 5(1): 81–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, P. A., & Soskice, D. 2001. An introduction to varieties of capitalism. In P. A. Hall, & D. Soskice (Eds.), Varieties of capitalism: The institutional foundations of comparative advantage: 1–68. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hendricks, J., & Peters, C. B. 1973. The ideal type and sociological theory. Acta Sociologica, 16(1): 31–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G., & Fink, G. 2007. Culture: Organisations, personalities and nations. Gerhard Fink interviews Geert Hofstede. European Journal of International Management, 1(1/2): 180–198.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hotho, J. J. 2014. From typology to taxonomy: A configurational analysis of national business systems and their explanatory power. Organization Studies, 35(5): 671–702.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hsueh, R. 2016. State capitalism, Chinese-style: Strategic value of sectors, sectoral characteristics, and globalization. Governance, 29(1): 85–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, G., & Deeg, R. 2008. Comparing capitalisms: Understanding institutional diversity and its implications for international business. Journal of International Business Studies, 39(4): 540–561.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, G., & Deeg, R. 2019. Comparing capitalisms and taking institutional context seriously. Journal of International Business Studies, 50(1): 4–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Judge, W. Q., Fainshmidt, S., & Brown, J. L., III. 2014. Which model of capitalism best delivers both wealth and equality? Journal of International Business Studies, 45(4): 363–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leong, S. M., & Tan, C. T. 1993. Managing across borders: An empirical test of the Bartlett and Ghoshal [1989] organizational typology. Journal of International Business Studies, 24(3): 449–464.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liebknecht, W. 1896. Our recent congress. Justice, 15: 4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindbekk, T. 1992. The Weberian ideal-type: Development and continuities. Acta Sociologica, 35(4): 285–297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luo, X., Chung, C.-N., & Sobczak, M. 2009. How do corporate governance model differences affect foreign direct investment in emerging economies? Journal of International Business Studies, 40(3): 444–467.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luo, Y., Shenkar, O., & Gurnani, H. 2008. Control-cooperation interfaces in global strategic alliances: A situational typology and strategic responses. Journal of International Business Studies, 39(3): 428–453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Makadok, R., Burton, R., & Barney, J. 2018. A practical guide for making theory contributions in strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 39(6): 1530–1545.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mariotti, S., & Marzano, R. 2019. Varieties of capitalism and the internationalization of state-owned enterprises. Journal of International Business Studies, 50(5): 669–691.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matar, L. 2013. Twilight of “state capitalism” in formerly “socialist” Arab states. Journal of North African Studies, 18(3): 416–430.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKinney, J. C. 1950. The role of constructive typology in scientific sociological analysis. Social Forces, 28(3): 235–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKinney, J. C. 1966. Constructive typology and social theory. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mendenhall, M. E., Reiche, B. S., Bird, A., & Osland, J. S. 2012. Defining the “global” in global leadership. Journal of World Business, 47(4): 493–503.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miles, R. E., & Snow, C. C. 1978. Organizational strategy, structure, and process. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, D. 1996. Configurations revisited. Strategic Management Journal, 17(7): 505–512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Misangyi, V. F., Greckhamer, T., Furnari, S., Fiss, P. C., Crilly, D., & Aguilera, R. 2017. Embracing causal complexity: The emergence of a neo-configurational perspective. Journal of Management, 43(1): 255–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morrison, A. J. 2000. Developing a global leadership model. Human Resource Management, 39(2–3): 117–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Musacchio, A., Lazzarini, S. G., & Aguilera, R. V. 2015. New varieties of state capitalism: Strategic and governance implications. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 29(1): 115–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petricevic, O., & Teece, D. J. 2019. The structural reshaping of globalization: Implications for strategic sectors, profiting from innovation, and the multinational enterprise. Journal of International Business Studies, 50(9): 1487–1512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pugh, D. S., Hickson, D. J., & Hinings, C. R. 1969. An empirical taxonomy of structures of work organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 14(1): 115–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ragin, C. C. 1987. The comparative method: Moving beyond qualitative and quantitative strategies. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ragin, C. C. 2000. Fuzzy-set social science. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ragin, C. C. 2008. Redesigning social inquiry: Fuzzy sets and beyond. Chicago: University of California Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ragin, C. C., & Fiss, P. C. 2008. Net effects versus configurations: An empirical demonstration. In C. C. Ragin (Ed.), Redesigning social inquiry: Fuzzy sets and beyond: 190–212. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Redding, G. 2005. The thick description and comparison of societal systems of capitalism. Journal of International Business Studies, 36(2): 123–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reiche, B. S., Bird, A., Mendenhall, M. E., & Osland, J. S. 2017. Contextualizing leadership: A typology of global leadership roles. Journal of International Business Studies, 48(5): 552–572.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rickley, M., & Stackhouse, M. 2022. Global leadership effectiveness: A multilevel review and exploration of the construct domain. In J. S. Osland, B. S. Reiche, B. Szkudlarek, & M. E. Mendenhall (Eds.), Advances in global leadership: 87–123. Bingley: Emerald.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Roth, G., & Schluchter, W. 1979. Max Weber’s vision of history: Ethics and methods. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Sartori, G. 1970. Concept misformation in comparative politics. The American Political Science Review, 64(4): 1033–1053.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, M. R., Schulze-Bentrop, C., & Paunescu, M. 2010. Mapping the institutional capital of high-tech firms: A fuzzy-set analysis of capitalist variety and export performance. Journal of International Business Studies, 41(2): 246–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shenkar, O. 2004. One more time: International business in a global economy. Journal of International Business Studies, 35(2): 161–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shepherd, D. A., & Suddaby, R. 2017. Theory building: A review and integration. Journal of Management, 43(1): 59–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snow, C. C., & Ketchen, D. J. 2014. Typology-driven theorizing: A response to delbridge and fiss. Academy of Management Review, 39(2): 231–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spechler, M. C., Ahrens, J., & Hoen, H. W. 2017. Defining state capitalism. In M. C. Spechler, J. Ahrens, & H. W. Hoen (Eds.), State capitalism in Eurasia: 1–22. Singapore: World Scientific.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sperber, N. 2019. The many lives of state capitalism: From classical Marxism to free-market advocacy. History of the Human Sciences, 32(3): 100–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suddaby, R. 2010. Editor’s comments: Construct clarity in theories of management and organization. Academy of Management Review, 35(3): 346–357.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swedberg, R. 2018. How to use Max Weber’s ideal type in sociological analysis. Journal of Classical Sociology, 18(3): 181–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teece, D. J. 2020. Fundamental issues in strategy: Time to reassess? Strategic Management Review, 1(1): 103–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsai, K. S., & Naughton, B. 2015. Introduction: State capitalism and the Chinese economic miracle. In B. Naughton, & K. S. Tsai (Eds.), State capitalism, institutional adaptation, and the Chinese miracle: 1–24. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, S. P. 2020. Causation, value judgments, Verstehen. In E. Hanke, L. Scaff, & S. Whimster (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of Max Weber: 574–595. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • van Riel, R. 2022. Weberian ideal type construction as concept replacement. European Journal of Philosophy.. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejop.12752.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warner, R. S. 1970. The role of religious ideas and the use of models in Max Weber’s comparative studies of non-capitalist societies. The Journal of Economic History, 30(1): 74–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weber, M. (1949). On the methodology of the social sciences (E.A. Shils & H.A. Finch, Eds.). The Free Press.

  • Weber, M. 1978. Economy and society: An outline of interpretive sociology. Los Angeles: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weber, M. 2001. The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westney, D. E. 2020. Rude awakening: Threats to the global liberal order. Journal of International Business Studies, 51(7): 1195–1198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whetten, D. A. 1989. What constitues a theoretical contribution? Academy of Management Review, 14(4): 490–495.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitley, R. (2008). The institutional construction of firms. Manchester Business School Working Paper, No. 555, The University of Manchester. http://hdl.handle.net/10419/50713

  • Whitley, R. 1999. Divergent capitalisms: The social structuring and change of business systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitley, R. 2007. Business systems and organizational capabilities: The institutional structuring of competitive competences. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Whitley, R. 2010. The institutional construction of firms. In G. Morgan, J. L. Campbell, C. Crouch, O. K. Pedersen, & R. Whitley (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of comparative institutional analysis: 453–495. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, O. E. 1985. The economic institutions of capitalism: Firms, markets, relational contracting. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Witt, M. A. 2019. De-globalization: Theories, predictions, and opportunities for international business research. Journal of International Business Studies, 50(7): 1053–1077.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Witt, M. A., de Castro, L. R. K., Amaeshi, K., Mahroum, S., Bohle, D., & Saez, L. 2018. Mapping the business systems of 61 major economies: A taxonomy and implications for varieties of capitalism and business systems research. Socio-Economic Review, 16(1): 5–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Witt, M. A., & Jackson, G. 2016. Varieties of capitalism and institutional comparative advantage: A test and reinterpretation. Journal of International Business Studies, 47(7): 778–806.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, G. T., & Allen, M. M. C. 2020. Comparing capitalisms: Debates, controversies and future directions. Sociology, 54(3): 482–500.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, G., & Wright, M. 2015. Corporations and new statism: Trends and research priorities. Academy Management Perspectives, 29(2): 271–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, M., Wood, G., Musacchio, A., Okhmatovskiy, I., Grosman, A., & Doh, J. P. 2021. State capitalism in international context: Varieties and variations. Journal of World Business, 56(2): 101160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Richard Whitley and, especially, Pavlos Dimitratos for very helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper. We would also like to thank Prof. Stav Fainshmidt and the three anonymous reviewers for their constructive and insightful suggestions during the review process. Any errors that remain are, of course, ours.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Business, Management, and Marketing Group, Bangor Business School, Bangor University, Bangor, LL57 2DG, Wales, UK

    Matthew M. C. Allen

  2. Department of Management and Organizational Studies, Social Science Centre, London, ON, N6A 5C2, Canada

    Geoffrey Wood

  3. Essex Business School, Southend-on-Sea, SS1 1LW, Essex, UK

    Mehmet Demirbag

Authors
  1. Matthew M. C. Allen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Geoffrey Wood
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mehmet Demirbag
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthew M. C. Allen.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Accepted by Stav Fainshmidt, Consulting Editor, 4 April 2022. This article has been with the authors for three revisions.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Allen, M.M.C., Wood, G. & Demirbag, M. Developing theoretically informed typologies in international business: Why we need them, and how to do it. J Int Bus Stud 53, 2133–2146 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-022-00529-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-022-00529-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation