1. ¹Department of Management, King's College London, UK
2. ²Political Science Department, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA

Correspondence: G Jackson, Department of Management, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, UK. Tel: +44 20 7848 4466; E-mail: gregory.2.jackson@kcl.ac.uk

Received 4 February 2006; Revised 27 September 2007; Accepted 4 December 2007; Published online 27 March 2008.

Abstract

This paper examines the role of institutional analysis within the field of international business (IB) studies. Within IB, institutions matter, but the view of institutions tends to be "thin", utilizing summary indicators rather than detailed description, and thus approaches institutions as unidimensional "variables" that impact on particular facets of business activity. This paper argues that IB research would be usefully advanced by greater attention to comparing the topography of institutional landscapes and understanding their diversity. A number of alternative case-based approaches are outlined that draw on a growing "comparative capitalisms" literature in sociology and political science. The paper develops a number of empirical examples to show the utility and limits of these approaches for IB scholars.