Research and Publications

Researchgate Profile

Foreign Capital, Spillovers and Export Performance in Emerging Economies: Evidence from Indian IT firms  Review of Development Economics

Abstract: The role of foreign capital inflow, foreign direct investment (FDI) and foreign portfolio investment (FPI), on export behavior of both recipients and non-recipient competing firms in the same sector often guides economic development policy.  By using panel data of Indian IT firms over 2000-2006, we show that FDI  reduces the sunk costs of entering foreign markets and therefore  positively effects  both the decision to export and the export propensity of recipient firms. Foreign portfolio investment has no effect on the decision to export, but it does marginally increase the volume of exports.  Further, these positive FDI and FPI recipient effects do not spill-over to non-recipients.   

 

Cultural Traits and Stock Market Development: An Empirical Analysis                                                             Forthcoming at Journal of Entreprenuership and Public Policy

Abstract: During recent times, stock market has emerged as a major financial institution of an economy. Yet, cross country differences, in size and role of stock market, persist. This article investigates the correlation between cultural traits and the development of the stock market in a country. Considering multiple dimensions of culture, identified in the literature by Hofstede (1980, 2001) and World value Survey (WVS), we construct our hypotheses: (i) Trust, a key cultural
trait, should positively influence stock market development, (ii) Uncertainty avoidance, Hofstede’s cultural dimension should negatively influence the development of the stock market, and (iii) Individualism, an alternate cultural dimension of Hofstede’s measures, should be positively correlated with stock market development. Our cross country empirical analysis supports our hypotheses. The results hold for multiple measures of stock market development.

 

Do Political Institutions and Culture Jointly Matter for Financial Development? A Cross-Country Panel Investigation                                                                                                                                                                                     Published in Global Economy Journal

Abstract: This article investigates the role of political institutions and culture in creating an efficient financial infrastructure for a country. It further delves into this  relationship and addresses the question: do both types of institutions mentioned above affect
financial development of a country, jointly? Our findings support the established notion in the  literature that institutions matter for financial development. We show both these types of  institutions – political institutions and culture – jointly promote financial development. Further, our result stresses that these two types of institutions behave as complements – the presence of
efficient political institutions augment the effectiveness of culture and, thus, financial development is enhanced. Our results are robust to various proxies of institutions and alternate estimation models.                                                                                   

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Development of interorganizational trust in virtual organizations An integrative framework
Published in European Business Review

Purpose – A virtual organization (VO) is a set of geographically dispersed and functionally diverse organizational entities interconnected by electronic forms of communication that cooperate with one another for a common valued outcome. The objective of this article is to propose a research framework that illustrates the development of trust between VOs.

Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides an overview of literature on VOs, identifies antecedents of trustworthiness in virtual environment, explores the role of boundary spanners’ interpersonal trust, and relates them to inter-VO trust formation. A research analysis is developed that depicts the proposed relationships.

Findings – The propositions shed light on the overall interorganizational trust building process in VOs. In doing so, the framework also acknowledges the role of individual boundary spanners of a trustor organization in the trust development process.

Originality/value – Systematic scholarly research relating to VOs has been somewhat limited. With the emergence of VOs as important organizational forms, there is an increasing need to comprehend how interorganizational trust is developed and maintained in VOs. This study attempts to fill this gap in the extant literature by exploring how social exchange factors in a virtual context relate to factors of organizational trustworthiness of the trustee organization. In addition, this paper also investigates the key role played by the boundary spanners of both organizations in the trust formation process.

Keywords: Virtual organizations, Interorganizational trust, Interpersonal trust, Social exchange theory, Trustworthiness, Trust, Boundary spanner


Leading virtual teams: How do social, cognitive, and behavioral capabilities matter?
Published in Management Decision

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to propose a research framework that identifies crucial leadership capabilities pertaining to the different lifecycle stages of a virtual team (VT). More specifically, this analysis identifies social, cognitive, and behavioral capabilities as important determinant of effective VT management and success.

Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides an overview of literature on leadership in VTs, categorizes leadership capabilities, and relates the capabilities to various stages of VT life cycle. A research analysis is developed that depicts the
proposed relationships.

Findings – The propositions demonstrate that, for effective leadership of VT to take place, it is important to understand the specific set of capabilities that contributes to successful management of a particular VT stage.

Research limitations/implications – The propositions of this study set the agenda for future studies to more closely examine the dynamic of leadership capabilities and VT life cycle stages.

Practical implications –VTs are an important element of the current competitive landscape and business organizations are increasingly using them as an important competitive tool. The findings provide implications for VT leaders or manager hiring
decisions. Organizations embarking on the creation of a workforce that comprises of VTs and virtual workers should consider deploying leaders who possess considerable social, cognitive, and behavioral capabilities to effectively manage VTs.

Originality/value –Research relating to VT leadership has been somewhat limited. With the usage of VTs is predicted to gain more importance in the future, there is a greater need to understand how specific leadership capabilities contribute to the successful
management and development of VTs. This study attempts to fill the void in the extant literature by exploring the specific leadership capabilities and by investigating their relative influence and relationships with VT lifecycle stages.


Is culture a determinant of financial development?
Published in Applied Economics Letters

This article investigates the missing link in the literature – whether informal institutions, or what is known as culture, can affect the level of financial development for a country? Our hypothesis stresses that the cultural dimensions of a country can have an impact on its financial set-up. We consider multiple dimensions of culture, identified in the literature by Tabellini (2008), to test our hypothesis. As culture evolves in the form of greater trust, control and other traits, individuals’ attitudes towards financial
market change, and they engage in greater financial transactions. This, in turn, leads to better financial development. Using quantile estimation technique for a cross section of 90 countries, we find that culture significantly influences the level of financial development. To ensure the robustness of our findings we use Hofstede’s cultural dimension – ‘Uncertainty Avoidance Index’ (UAI) – as an alternative measure for culture. Our results hold for multiple measures of financial development.


The PTA Factor: Role of Preferential Trade Agreements in the Trade-Institution Relation

The impact of trade on corruption has been well documented in the literature. Using a country level panel data we test two hypotheses. First, we investigate if trade openness influences corruption level of a country. While many studies have shown that greater trade openness mitigates corruption among trading partners, there are studies that has raised doubts against this claim. In this paper we re-explore this claim for a large sample of developed and developing countries. We find that the effect of trade openness on the level of corruption is largely insignificant. Second, we test if a country entering into preferential trading agreements alters its level of corruption. Our finding suggests that entering into a PTA agreement boosts corruption level for the member countries.


Foreign Direct Investment and Export Performance in Emerging Economies: Evidence from Indian IT firms

The effects of FDI on export behavior of both recipients and non-recipient competing firms in the same sector often guides economic development policy. We estimate a Logit model of the probability of export and Pooled Tobit and Fixed and Random Effects Tobit models of the volume of exports using a large sample of Indian Information Technology firms in 2000-2006 that focus on the role of FDI. For FDI recipients the probability of exporting and the volume of exports is greater. In addition, there is clear evidence of a spillover of the effects of FDI to non-recipient firms as their probability of exporting also increase. In a random effects Tobit model spillover also exists for the volume of exports.

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Labor Mobility, Knowledge Transfer and Productivity Spillover: Evidence from Indian Firms

Productivity spillover from foreign direct investment (FDI) provides a rationale for recruitment of multinational enterprises (MNEs). Our model suggests spillovers depend on industry-specific characteristics like high skilled mobile labor that may transfer knowledge, skills and techniques of the MNE to other firms. With a panel of Indian firms in the information technology (IT) and the textiles sectors for 2000-2006 we find direct recipients of FDI experience an increase in productivity. However, spillover effects exist in IT, with high skilled mobile labor, but not in textiles, without such labor. This suggests policies should be industry specific, not economy wide.

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