Brazilian corporations, the state and transnational activity: introduction to the special issue
Critical Perspectives on International Business
ISSN: 1742-2043
Article publication date: 30 September 2014
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the paper is to introduce a special issue which looks at the collaboration between the Brazilian state and Brazilian corporations with regard to the transnational activities of the latter.
Design/methodology/approach
Departing from the state of the art of current studies of emerging market multinationals, the paper highlights the need for interdisciplinary work to understand the particular role of the state with regard to the outward expansion of these companies. The paper then highlights the different approaches the five papers of the special issue have taken to address this task.
Findings
Although Brazil can be counted among the most liberal emerging markets, the special issue finds a very close cooperation between the Brazilian state and Brazilian multinationals. The former helps to finance overseas expansion of Brazilian multinationals, supports the solution of conflicts with the governments of neighboring countries and articulates the interests of Brazilian multinationals in global governance. The problems created by this close cooperation rather materialize with third parties, in particular with somewhat poorer countries in the Brazilian neighborhood, but also with smaller companies, consumers or radical social movements in Brazil.
Originality/value
The paper shows the diversity of approaches that an interdisciplinary cooperation between Political Science, Political Economy, Development Studies and International Business can mobilize to make sense of very close state-business cooperation with regard to transnational activities of emerging markets multinationals.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Research for this special issue has been supported by the COST Action IS905 “Emergence of Southern Multinationals and their Impact on Europe” as well as by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/DFG, NO 855/3-1) via the project “A BICS Variety of Capitalism? The Emergence of State-Permeated Market Economies in Large Emerging Markets”. I very gratefully acknowledge most helpful support from Louis Brennan, Johannes Petry and Jack Copley.
Citation
Nölke, A. (2014), "Brazilian corporations, the state and transnational activity: introduction to the special issue", Critical Perspectives on International Business, Vol. 10 No. 4, pp. 230-236. https://doi.org/10.1108/cpoib-03-2014-0015
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited