Between ballots and bullets: Political competition, uncertainty, and MNE strategies in politically challenging environments

This dissertation explores the central question of how multinational enterprises (MNEs) develop strategies specifically accounting for political competition between opposing political groups or entities. Each of the three substantive chapters focuses on a unique context to encompass the multiple geographic levels of political competition and its different manifestations, which can range from electoral contests across political parties to armed conflict across military groups. After an introductory chapter articulating the central question, the second chapter examines the entry of MNEs into conflict zones, specifically through a case study of multinational mining companies and their political engagement with warring factions while entering the Democratic Republic of Congo during and after the Congo Wars. The third chapter investigates the market and nonmarket strategies foreign subsidiaries implement to address location-specific uncertainty arising from political competition, analyzing a large dataset of foreign firms investing in different US states, which vary by their level of political competition. The fourth chapter explores the manner and timing of foreign divestment from a hostile host country in the context of a global geopolitical conflict, using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to examine the patterns of MNE divestment from Russia in response to that country’s invasion of Ukraine. Overall, each chapter makes contributions to specific streams of research while combining to form empirical building blocks towards constructing a more unified theory of MNE strategies and political competition.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Business Administration

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2023

Author dc:creator

• DeBerge, Thomas M

Contributors dc:contributor

• Bucheli, Marcelo
• Clougherty, Joseph
• Mahoney, Joseph
• Shah, Sonali

• Political Strategies
• Uncertainty
• Multinational Enterprises

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2023 Thomas DeBerge

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/121311

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F121311