TY - JOUR

T1 - Varieties of capitalism, governance, and high-tech export performance A fuzzy-set analysis of the new EU member states

AU - Allen, Matthew M. C.

AU - Aldred, Maria L.

PY - 2011/6/28

Y1 - 2011/6/28

N2 - PurposeThis paper aims to assess the extent to which convergence in institutional regimes is likely to occur, by examining all ten new EU member states in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of their development of comparative advantages in high‐tech export markets either by drawing on foreign investors in the form of multinational companies or by making use of domestic institutional resources.Design/methodology/approachThe article uses fuzzy sets and qualitative comparative analysis to examine both necessary and sufficient causes of success in high‐tech export markets. By doing so, it can address the important issue of institutional complementarity.FindingsWhile it finds that countries that have stronger records in such markets share common features, there are also important differences between them – not least in the areas of employee relations. This, together with other evidence presented in the paper, suggests that convergence around a specific institutional model is unlikely to happen.Originality/valueAnalysing, unlike many previous studies, all ten new EU member states in Central and Eastern Europe enables conclusions to be drawn that apply to the whole region. The novel method used in this article means that the extent of any complementarity between different institutions can be addressed, and ensures that issues relating to convergence/divergence are explored. The article, therefore, contributes to a number of important debates on the convergence among types of capitalism, the dependency of the new EU member states on foreign investors, and the institutional foundations for success in high‐tech export markets.

AB - PurposeThis paper aims to assess the extent to which convergence in institutional regimes is likely to occur, by examining all ten new EU member states in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of their development of comparative advantages in high‐tech export markets either by drawing on foreign investors in the form of multinational companies or by making use of domestic institutional resources.Design/methodology/approachThe article uses fuzzy sets and qualitative comparative analysis to examine both necessary and sufficient causes of success in high‐tech export markets. By doing so, it can address the important issue of institutional complementarity.FindingsWhile it finds that countries that have stronger records in such markets share common features, there are also important differences between them – not least in the areas of employee relations. This, together with other evidence presented in the paper, suggests that convergence around a specific institutional model is unlikely to happen.Originality/valueAnalysing, unlike many previous studies, all ten new EU member states in Central and Eastern Europe enables conclusions to be drawn that apply to the whole region. The novel method used in this article means that the extent of any complementarity between different institutions can be addressed, and ensures that issues relating to convergence/divergence are explored. The article, therefore, contributes to a number of important debates on the convergence among types of capitalism, the dependency of the new EU member states on foreign investors, and the institutional foundations for success in high‐tech export markets.

KW - Organizations

KW - Central and Eastern Europe

KW - Convergence

KW - Employee relations

KW - Fuzzy sets

KW - High-technology exports

U2 - 10.1108/01425451111140622

DO - 10.1108/01425451111140622

M3 - Article

VL - 33

SP - 334

EP - 355

JO - Employee Relations

JF - Employee Relations

SN - 0142-5455

IS - 4

ER -