Background - The positive impacts of globalization have been widely discussed, whereas many researchers argue that national borders are of less importance. However, as national borders are argued to be of less importance, some researchers miss to point out that the institutional differences remain and they are challenging to change. Purpose - The purpose of this study is to examine and compare the entry strategies of three Swedish firms entering both a developed and an emerging market with a focus on the different institutional contexts. Method - This study has applied a qualitative method with an abductive approach and an instrumental case study strategy, whereas 3 semistructured interviews with 3 different firms having experience from both a developed and an emerging country were conducted. Conclusion - When firms enter a developed country with few institutional differences, they commit more resources and do not feel the urge to use a local partner. Entering an emerging country, the firms choose a more cost-efficient entry with less resource commitment and prefer to use a local partner with local knowledge. / Bakgrund - Globaliseringen och dess effekter har diskuterats flitigt under de senaste decennierna och en centralpunkt i debatten är att nationella gränser minskat i betydelse. Trots att många hävdar att vi rör oss mot en alltmer gränslös värld förbises institutionella skillnader som generar stora utmaningar. Syfte - Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka och jämföra tre svenska företags etableringsstrategier i både ett utvecklat och ett utvecklingsland med fokus på de olika institutionella förhållandena. Metod - Denna studie har använt sig av en kvalitativ metod med en abduktiv ansats och en instrumental case studiestrategi. Studien har använt sig av 3 semi-strukturerade intervjuer med 3 olika bolag, där bolagen haft erfarenhet av etablering i ett utvecklat och ett utvecklingsland. Slutsatser - I ett utvecklat land där de institutionella skillnaderna är små, väljer bolagen att lägga ner mer resurser på sin etablering och känner ett mindre behov av att ha en lokal partner. I ett utvecklingsland med större institutionella skillnader väljer bolag en mindre resurskrävande och mer kostnadseffektiv etablering, där behovet av att ha en lokal partner med lokal kännedom är stort.

Esta tese analisa a transterritorialidade decorrente de institucionalidades formais e informais concorrentes em nove cidade de Brasil, Colômbia e México. Mais especificamente, trata das consequências sociais da produção de múltiplos territórios e multiterritorialidades a partir da competição entre institucionalidades formais legais e institucionalidades informais ilegais ligadas ao narcotráfico. A pesquisa se desenvolveu nas cidades brasileiras de Porto Alegre e Rio Janeiro, colombianas de Bogotá, Buenaventura, Cali e Medellín, e mexicanas de Cidade do México, Culiacán e Xalapa. O estudo busca compreender as distintas dinâmicas de dominação funcional e apropriação simbólica dos espaços urbanos. Interessou, neste sentido, de forma mais contundente, a investigação dos efeitos sobre a população de territorialidades mais funcionais instituídas a partir da unidade regra-sanção baseada no disciplinamento dos corpos pela violência. Examina, ainda, a relação recursiva entre território (e territorialidade), instituição e cultura. Associada ao paradigma de complexidade proposto por Morin, a investigação propriamente dita, inspirada no estudo de múltiplos casos, envolveu um conjunto de técnicas para coleta e análise de dados Foram utilizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas, observações a partir de saídas de campo, registros fotográficos, análise de conteúdo e análise estatística descritiva. Em termos de resultados, demonstrou-se que os moradores, especialmente os residentes na periferia das cidades pesquisadas, vivem a transterritorialidade imposta por regras inscritas nos corpos por institucionalidades formais e informais. Eles têm suas rotinas ordenadas por códigos formais e informais de conduta, contenções permanentes e temporárias dispostas no e pelo espaço geográfico. Verificou-se a existência de uma relação recursiva entre estratégias de evitação e contornamento. Constatou-se que, na maioria dos casos, os territórios produzidos e mantidos por forças institucionais ligadas ao Estado e ilegais associadas ao narcotráfico são mais funcionais do que simbólicos. Dito de outra forma, o espaço é dominado pelo estabelecimento de regras e sanções, e não apropriado por processos identitários ou de identificação cultural. Por fim, chega-se à conclusão de que a transterritorialidade é uma emergência complexa, em termos morinianos, decorrente dos processos de produção e manutenção de multiterritorialidades de institucionalidades formais e informais. / This thesis analyzes the trans-territoriality caused by competing formal and informal institutions in nine cities of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. More specifically, this research is about the social consequences of the formation of multiple territories and multi-territorialities produced by the competition between legal formal institutions and illegal informal institutions connected to drug trafficking. The research was developed in the Brazilian cities of Porto Alegre and Rio de Janeiro, in the Colombian cities of Bogotá, Buenaventura, Cali and Medellín and in the Mexican cities of Mexico City, Culiacán and Xalapa. The study aims to comprehend the distinct processes of functional domination and symbolic appropriation of urban spaces. The research was mainly interested in investigating the effects of more functional territorialities on the population established by the connection between rules and sanctions based on the use of violence in order to discipline bodies. The study also examined the recursive relation among territory (and territoriality), institution e culture. Associated with Morin's Paradigm of Complexity, the investigation itself, inspired by the study of multiple cases, involved a range of techniques to acquire and to analyze data The research used semi-structured interviews, observations during field trips, photographic record, content analysis and descriptive statistics. As for the results, this thesis demonstrates that the inhabitants, especially the ones who reside on the periphery of the cities researched, live the process of trans-territoriality imposed by the rules of formal and informal institutionalities. They have their routines commanded by formal and informal codes of conduct, permanent and temporary restraints established in the geographic space. The research found the existence of a recursive relation between bypassing restraints and strategies to avoid populations. The study also noted that, in most cases, the territories produced and maintained by institutional forces connected to the State and illegal forces associated with the drug trafficking are more functional than symbolic. In other words, the space is dominated by rules and sanctions and not appropriated by identity processes or cultural identification. Finally, the research came to the conclusion that trans-territoriality is a complex emergence, in Morin’s terms, due to processes of production and maintenance of formal and informal multi-territorialities and institionalities.

The aim of this study is to investigate the situation in Romania concerning trafficking for sexual purposes. We look at what affect the European Union has had relating to this matter, in order to conclude what a membership implies on the fight against trafficking. A gender perspective is apparent throughout the essay and new institutionalism leads us to focus on the affect of the EU, both formally and informally. Questions to be answered revolves around the EU:s strategy against trafficking, recent trends and the implementation of the strategy in Romania, formally and informally. The study has the form of a case study and is conducted through a field study in Romania. A combination of methods is used, including personal interviews with organizations and qualitative text analysis. The results show that the EU has mainly had a formal affect on the measures against trafficking for sexual purposes in Romania, whilst having deficiencies in affecting norms and implementation. We conclude that it is difficult for the EU to make sure that the member states work with this issue sufficiently in practice.

Esta tese analisa a transterritorialidade decorrente de institucionalidades formais e informais concorrentes em nove cidade de Brasil, Colômbia e México. Mais especificamente, trata das consequências sociais da produção de múltiplos territórios e multiterritorialidades a partir da competição entre institucionalidades formais legais e institucionalidades informais ilegais ligadas ao narcotráfico. A pesquisa se desenvolveu nas cidades brasileiras de Porto Alegre e Rio Janeiro, colombianas de Bogotá, Buenaventura, Cali e Medellín, e mexicanas de Cidade do México, Culiacán e Xalapa. O estudo busca compreender as distintas dinâmicas de dominação funcional e apropriação simbólica dos espaços urbanos. Interessou, neste sentido, de forma mais contundente, a investigação dos efeitos sobre a população de territorialidades mais funcionais instituídas a partir da unidade regra-sanção baseada no disciplinamento dos corpos pela violência. Examina, ainda, a relação recursiva entre território (e territorialidade), instituição e cultura. Associada ao paradigma de complexidade proposto por Morin, a investigação propriamente dita, inspirada no estudo de múltiplos casos, envolveu um conjunto de técnicas para coleta e análise de dados Foram utilizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas, observações a partir de saídas de campo, registros fotográficos, análise de conteúdo e análise estatística descritiva. Em termos de resultados, demonstrou-se que os moradores, especialmente os residentes na periferia das cidades pesquisadas, vivem a transterritorialidade imposta por regras inscritas nos corpos por institucionalidades formais e informais. Eles têm suas rotinas ordenadas por códigos formais e informais de conduta, contenções permanentes e temporárias dispostas no e pelo espaço geográfico. Verificou-se a existência de uma relação recursiva entre estratégias de evitação e contornamento. Constatou-se que, na maioria dos casos, os territórios produzidos e mantidos por forças institucionais ligadas ao Estado e ilegais associadas ao narcotráfico são mais funcionais do que simbólicos. Dito de outra forma, o espaço é dominado pelo estabelecimento de regras e sanções, e não apropriado por processos identitários ou de identificação cultural. Por fim, chega-se à conclusão de que a transterritorialidade é uma emergência complexa, em termos morinianos, decorrente dos processos de produção e manutenção de multiterritorialidades de institucionalidades formais e informais. / This thesis analyzes the trans-territoriality caused by competing formal and informal institutions in nine cities of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. More specifically, this research is about the social consequences of the formation of multiple territories and multi-territorialities produced by the competition between legal formal institutions and illegal informal institutions connected to drug trafficking. The research was developed in the Brazilian cities of Porto Alegre and Rio de Janeiro, in the Colombian cities of Bogotá, Buenaventura, Cali and Medellín and in the Mexican cities of Mexico City, Culiacán and Xalapa. The study aims to comprehend the distinct processes of functional domination and symbolic appropriation of urban spaces. The research was mainly interested in investigating the effects of more functional territorialities on the population established by the connection between rules and sanctions based on the use of violence in order to discipline bodies. The study also examined the recursive relation among territory (and territoriality), institution e culture. Associated with Morin's Paradigm of Complexity, the investigation itself, inspired by the study of multiple cases, involved a range of techniques to acquire and to analyze data The research used semi-structured interviews, observations during field trips, photographic record, content analysis and descriptive statistics. As for the results, this thesis demonstrates that the inhabitants, especially the ones who reside on the periphery of the cities researched, live the process of trans-territoriality imposed by the rules of formal and informal institutionalities. They have their routines commanded by formal and informal codes of conduct, permanent and temporary restraints established in the geographic space. The research found the existence of a recursive relation between bypassing restraints and strategies to avoid populations. The study also noted that, in most cases, the territories produced and maintained by institutional forces connected to the State and illegal forces associated with the drug trafficking are more functional than symbolic. In other words, the space is dominated by rules and sanctions and not appropriated by identity processes or cultural identification. Finally, the research came to the conclusion that trans-territoriality is a complex emergence, in Morin’s terms, due to processes of production and maintenance of formal and informal multi-territorialities and institionalities.

Many economies throughout the world were devastated by the global financial crisis of 2007-2008. Ireland in particular experienced a severe collapse in its housing market. Despite the progression of European-influenced planning policy that was meant to promote balanced regional development in Ireland, the country's housing market vastly overbuilt, exacerbating a housing market crash that ended the Celtic Tiger era. Drawing on Europeanization and historical institutionalism as theoretical frameworks, this thesis argues that the link between these EU-influenced policy principles and local Irish planning practice was weak during an important phase of Ireland's economic growth. This conclusion is demonstrated through the analysis of a case study, McEvoy and Smith v. Meath County Council. The findings show that while Ireland's national government created an ambitious National Spatial Strategy modeled on EU principles, non-binding Regional Planning Guidelines allowed local authorities to continue granting zoning changes and permissions. These decisions were therefore uninhibited by the constraints of population projections, consideration for infrastructure provision, and overall good planning practice. This research calls into question the effectiveness of transferring policy principles from the EU to Member States. It suggests more generally that to implement policy and law successfully, policy makers must appreciate the societal and economic context in which these rules will operate.

Cette thèse aborde l’impact du private equity sur la gouvernance des entreprises (chapitres 1 et 2) et les déterminants du capital risque (chapitre 3). Les deux premiers chapitres examinent les changements que les capital-investisseurs introduisent dans la gouvernance des entreprises (en termes de remplacement du dirigeant) suite à une opération Public-to-Private. Les résultats empiriques montrent que (i) les entreprises soutenues par private equity exercent un suivi plus actif et sont plus susceptibles de licencier le dirigeant que les compagnies cotées (chapitre 1) (ii) les entreprises soutenues par des firmes de private equity plus spécialisées (en termes de secteur d’activité) ont moins tendance à licencier leur dirigeant que les entreprises soutenues par des firmes de private equity plus généralistes (chapitre 2). Du point de vue de la théorie, les résultats montrent que le taux de remplacement du directeur général et la sensibilité du départ du dirigeant à la performance sont plus élevés dans les entreprises soutenues par private equity que dans les compagnies cotées (chapitre 1). Ce résultat va dans le sens de l'hypothèse de contrôle, qui affirme que la structure de propriété plus concentrée des entreprises soutenues par private equity induit un contrôle plus fort des actionnaires et un remplacement plus fréquent du dirigeant en cas de faible performance que la structure de propriété dispersée des entreprises cotées. Pour les entreprises ayant des structures de propriété concentrées similaires (i. e., notre échantillon de compagnies soutenues par private equity du Chapitre 2), nos résultats empiriques confortent plutôt l’hypothèse de « l'information interne » avancée par Cornelli et Karakas (2015). Cette théorie suggère que les investisseurs sophistiqués (en particulier les firmes de private equity spécialisées) sont plus enclins à utiliser de l’information «soft» (interne) pour évaluer la compétence du directeur général et pour décider de son remplacement. A contrario, les investisseurs moins sophistiqués auraient tendance à privilégier de l’information «hard», par exemple la performance financière relative de l'entreprise (par rapport à des firmes similaires). Enfin, le Chapitre 3 est lié aux débats sur les déterminants du développement du capital-risque. Nous essayons d'évaluer la façon dont les mécanismes de soutien gouvernemental à l'innovation ont un impact sur les investissements en capital-risque. Nous examinons également l’effet modérateur de l'environnement institutionnel sur la relation entre les dépenses gouvernementales en recherche et développement (R&D) et le capital-risque. Nos résultats montrent qu'un niveau plus élevé de dépenses gouvernementales en R&D entraîne un niveau plus élevé d'investissements en capital-risque. Nous trouvons également une relation positive entre la qualité des institutions formelles et le montant des investissements en capital-risque early-stage. Contrairement aux résultats attendus, la qualité de l’environnement institutionnel a un effet modérateur négatif sur la relation entre les dépenses gouvernementales en R&D et le niveau des investissements en capital-risque. Ce résultat suggère qu’en présence d'institutions formelles hautement développées les opportunités technologiques mesurées par les dépenses gouvernementales en R&D n'ont aucun effet stimulant sur le développement du capital-risque. / This PhD thesis addresses the effects of private equity on corporate governance (Chapter 1 and 2) and the determinants of Venture Capital (VC) investments (Chapter 3). The first two chapters examine the changes that private equity investors introduce in the governance of their portfolio companies (in terms of CEO turnover) after a Public-to-Private (PTP) operation. Our empirical results show that (i) PE-backed companies exert a more active monitoring, and are more likely to dismiss their CEO than public firms (Chapter 1) (ii) PE-backed companies with more specialized investors are less likely to dismiss their CEO than other PE-backed companies (Chapter 2). From a theory perspective, the findings that CEO turnover rate and CEO turnover-performance sensitivity are higher in PE-backed companies comparing with public firms (Chapter 1) seem to support the ‘control hypothesis’, i.e., the contention that the concentrated (and illiquid) ownership structure of PE-backed companies provides stronger shareholder monitoring and a tighter control for poor performance than the dispersed ownership structure of public firms. For companies with similar concentrated ownership structures (i.e., our sample of PE-backed companies in Chapter 2), our results rather support the ‘inside information hypothesis’ of boards advanced by Cornelli and Karakas (2015). This theory suggests that sophisticated investors (e.g. specialized PE firms) are more likely to use ‘soft’ (inside) information when they evaluate the CEO’s competence and the decision to dismiss the CEO. In contrast, less sophisticated investors are more likely to base their decision on ‘hard’ information, e.g., the firm’s performance relative to its peers. Finally, Chapter 3 is related to debate on the determinants of venture capital development. We try to assess how particular mechanisms of governmental support to innovation impact VC investments, and whether the institutional environment moderates the relationship between governmental R&D and VC investments. Our results show that higher level of governmental R&D expenditures lead to higher level of VC investments. We found also that higher quality of formal institutions is associated with higher level of early stage VC activity. Contrary to what was expected, the quality of the institutional environment has a negative moderating effect on the relationship between governmental R&D expenditures and VC activity. A possible interpretation of this result is that in the presence of highly developed formal institutions the technological opportunities measured by governmental R&D expenditures have no stimulating effect on venture capital development.

L’objectif de cette thèse est de découvrir si l’environnement institutionnel affecte la performance agricole dans le cas du Cambodge et comment le premier influe sur la dernière. Pour répondre à cet objectif, trois hypothèses sont formulées : (1) l’environnement institutionnel joue un rôle important dans la protection des droits de propriété foncière ; (2) les droits de propriété foncière sécurisés augmentent la productivité agricole par la stimulation des incitations d’investissement des agriculteurs ; (3) les droits de propriété foncière sécurisés accroissent la productivité agricole par la facilitation de l’accès au crédit formel. Méthodologiquement, la recherche est basée sur les différentes théories de la Nouvelle Economie Institutionnelle, qui expliquent que les institutions déterminent la structure des incitations des acteurs économiques dans une société. Spécifiquement, les institutions politiques déterminent les institutions économiques, c’est-à-dire les droits de propriété, qui à leur tour affectent la performance économique en général et la performance agricole en particulier. La recherche est également basée sur les données venant de diverses sources, telles que des agences gouvernementales, des instituts de recherche locaux, des organisations non-gouvernementales et des organisations internationales, qui sont susceptibles de servir de base pour des analyses empiriques. En outre, le cas de l’Afrique subsaharienne est également étudié à titre de comparaison. Le résultat de la thèse confirme fortement les deux premières hypothèses, mais peu la dernière. Le résultat indique que l’impact de l’environnement institutionnel sur la productivité agricole via la protection des droits de propriété foncière est lié au contexte particulier parce qu’il devrait être complété par un environnement économique favorable, tel que l’infrastructure physique et la technologie agricole améliorées et les institutions du marché développées. De plus, on apprend que les résultats désirés ne sont pas obtenus si les institutions formelles (c’est-à-dire, l’enregistrement formel des terres) sont imposées via l’approche top-down dans les régions où les institutions informelles existantes sont fortement encastrées. / The purpose of this dissertation is to find out if the institutional environment affects agricultural performance in the case of Cambodia and how the former exerts an influence on the latter. To respond to this purpose, three hypotheses are formulated: (1) the institutional environment plays an important role in protecting property rights in land; (2) secure property rights in land increase agricultural productivity through the stimulation of farmers’ investment incentives; (3) secure property rights in land raise agricultural productivity through the facilitation of access to formal credit. Methodologically, the research is based on different theories of New Institutional Economics, which explain that institutions determine the incentive structure of economic actors in society. Specifically, political institutions shape economic institutions, i.e. property rights, which in turn affect economic performance in general and agricultural performance in particular. The research is also based on the data from various sources, such as government agencies, local research institutes, non-governmental organizations, and international organizations, which can serve as a basis for empirical analyses. In addition, the case of Sub-Saharan Africa is also studied for comparison. The result of the dissertation confirms strongly the first two hypotheses but slightly the last one. The result indicates that the impact of institutional environment on agricultural productivity through the protection of property rights in land is context-specific because it should be complemented by a favorable economic environment, such as improved physical infrastructure and agricultural technology and developed market institutions. Furthermore, it is learned that, in developing countries, the desired outcomes will not be obtained if formal institutions (i.e., formal land registration) are imposed through a top-down approach in areas where the existing informal institutions are strongly embedded.

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