The role of entry nodes in industrial firms’ internationalization: the significance of network structures for value innovation

Purpose The paper explores the links between network structures and internationalization, conceptualized as a process of value innovation. The exploration sets off from the concept of an entry node, i.e. whether network entrance is facilitated by a direct dyadic or an indirect triadic relationship. Design/methodology/approach The paper is mainly conceptual, but also presents an empirical cross-border actor constellation which highlights the implications of the study. Findings Bi-directionality implies that value innovation is contingent on the fit between the actors involved in the entry node, not on the fulfilment of the needs of a focal actor. Further, the attractiveness of an entry node depends on network structures, the network positions of the actors in the entry node, the desired outcomes of entry (immersion or reach), and the actual behavior of the actors. The dynamics of transitivity can influence triadic entry nodes. However, transitivity operates differently in business networks than in social networks constituted by inter-personal ties. Therefore, closure of open triadic entry nodes is neither an automatic outcome of strong ties, nor a normatively better outcome. Research limitations/implications The theorizing offered by this paper must be further explored in different empirical contexts to assess its practical adequacy. Still, the presented empirical case indicates that the expected attractiveness of entry nodes is closely linked to (in)transitivity. Originality/value The paper supports the relevance of expanding from a dyadic to a network perspective in order to capture the dynamics of value innovation in an international setting.

Multilevel Governance and Depoliticization

‘Multilevel’ governance (MLG) refers to the fact that, in contemporary established democracies, collectively binding decisions are frequently formulated or implemented in a cooperative manner by networks composed of public actors attached to different jurisdictional levels (from the local to the supranational) and of non-public actors such as experts, interest representatives, and members of cause groups. This chapter develops the expectation that the occurrence and magnitude of depoliticization in MLG depend on a number of its defining traits, and that the presence and intensity of these traits depend in turn on the specific empirical configuration and actor constellation of governance arrangements. The chapter first lays out the relationships that may exist between different facets of depoliticization in MLG, and then explores how MLG is depoliticized when technocratic rule, deficits of representation, lack of political control, and lack of public debate tend to prevail.