Research challenges in IB: The Evolution of MNE-state Relationships and the Inequality of Opportunities
Abstract
The International Business literature has emphasised the heterogeneity of firm strategies in shaping MNE-State bargaining, but largely ignored the heterogeneity of states. In contrast, the international political economy (IPE) literature provides a more nuanced consideration of state strategies and their economic and political priorities. The potential of multinational enterprises (MNEs) to accelerate economic development and reduce inequality has been recognized since the industrial revolution, when states sought to actively engage foreign capital in industrialization. Over time, the MNE-state compact has waxed and waned in significance due to (geo-)political developments, shaped in part by how the economic surpluses of foreign capital were distributed between domestic actors. Government policies matter as to how they prioritise international competitiveness relative to domestic inequality reduction. Scholars in development studies have examined the underlying causes of increasing income inequalities through the lens of inequality of opportunities. I discuss how adopting this lens could advance our understanding of how MNEs influence inequality, directly and in interaction with the state. I propose a research agenda, taking into account micro-, meso- and macro-level perspectives.
Speaker Biography
Rajneesh Narula is the John H. Dunning Chair of International Business Regulation at the Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK. His research and consulting have focused on the role of multinational firms in development, innovation and industrial policy, global value chains, R&D alliances and outsourcing. He has published about 200 articles and chapters in books on these themes. He is currently Perspectives Editor of Journal of International Business Policy. He was Area Editor of Journal of International Business Studies from 2017-2022, Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Development Research from 2009-2013, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Industrial and Business Economics (2020-2023), and Multinational Business Review (2014-2016).
In 2017, he was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE). The honour is in recognition of his Services to Business Research. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce (FRSA) in 2015. He is a regular commentator on business and economics issues on BBC World News, Sky News, TRT World, CGTN, as well as a variety of print and online publications, and gives over 30 public lectures and seminars at universities around the world every year.
Since 2021 he has been policy advisor to the Kaduna State Government, Nigeria, as well as a variety of senior policy makers, on investment promotion, infrastructure and job creation, and has a column in the Nigerian business newspaper, BusinessDay. He regularly acts as a consultant and advisor to the European Commission, UNIDO, UNCTAD the OECD, World Bank, as well as a variety of other international organisations, governments and consulting firms. He has travelled widely, having undertaken research and consultancy projects or taught in Tanzania, Uganda, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Russia, India, Qatar, UAE, Colombia, Australia, Japan, Mauritius, Senegal, Jamaica, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa, in addition to almost all the countries in Europe. He holds honorary appointments at United Nations University-MERIT, Norwegian School of Business, Oxford University, Simon Fraser University, and the University of Urbino. He has previously held full-time appointments at the University of Oslo, Maastricht University and Copenhagen Business School.
Rajneesh is listed as one of the top 20 most cited academic authors worldwide in the fields of international business, emerging markets, economics of innovation, and economic development, according to Google Scholar. His publications with John Dunning and Sanjaya Lall on FDI-assisted development are especially well-cited contributions. He is the author or editor of 16 books, including Globalization and Technology (Polity Press), Multinationals and Industrial Competitiveness (with John Dunning, Edward Elgar), Understanding FDI-assisted Economic Development (with Sanjaya Lall, Routledge), Multinationals on the Periphery (with Gabriel Benito, Palgrave). He is also co-author of the acclaimed textbook, International Business, with Simon Collinson and Alan Rugman, in its ninth edition. His publications have appeared in leading journals, including the Journal of International Business Studies, Oxford Development Studies, Research Policy, Journal of Management Studies and California Management Review. His 2003 book, Globalization and Technology has been translated and published in Chinese and Arabic.
He obtained his BEng (Electrical Engineering, with Honours) from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Nigeria, his MBA from Rutgers University Graduate School of Management, and his Doctorate in Management from Rutgers University, USA. He completed his early education in Nigeria, most notably at Barewa College, Zaria. Before academia, Professor Narula worked as an Engineer in Nigeria, and later as a Planning Analyst at IBM Asia/Pacific Headquarters in Hong Kong.