Foreign Actors and Intellectual Property Protection Regulations in Developing Countries

Kristin Brandl, Izzet Darendeli, Ram Mudambi*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

International agreements and institutions affect innovation in developing countries. We analyze the impact of advanced country multinational enterprises (AMNEs) and supranational organizations on the regulatory adoption of global intellectual property protection standards. In particular, we investigate 60 developing countries that signed the Trade-relate Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement of the World Trade Organization in 1994. Our empirical findings show that a greater involvement of AMNEs in the domestic innovation systems of developing countries results in more stringent TRIPS adoption and convergence to advanced country IP protection standards. This relationship is positively moderated by country dependency on supranational organizations such as the International Monetary Fund. This analysis contributes to the literature on institutional change and institutional voids. It provides insights into the influence of external actors on the underlying change processes.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of International Business Studies
Volume50
Pages (from-to)826-846
Number of pages21
ISSN0047-2506
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • developing countries
  • innovation system
  • institutional change theory
  • institutional voids
  • intellectual property protection

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