Cogent Business & Management

The Political Economy of Institutions, Trade and International Investment

International trade and international investment decisions are shaped not only by prices, technology, market size, and geography, but also by the institutional and political environments in which firms operate. This Article Collection invites contributions on the political economy of institutions, trade, and international investment, with a particular focus on their implications for international business, management, strategy, and corporate decision-making. We welcome studies examining how political institutions, legal systems, regulatory quality, property rights, political risk, corruption, bureaucracy, lobbying, trade policy, and international agreements affect export behavior, foreign direct investment, market entry, global value chains, multinational firms, supply-chain organization, and cross-border capital allocation. The Collection also encourages research on how firms adapt to institutional uncertainty, regulatory change, geopolitical fragmentation, and evolving patterns of global economic integration.

The global economic order is under strain, creating new challenges for firms, investors, and managers operating across borders. Trade integration and international investment have generated substantial opportunities for market expansion, efficiency gains, innovation, and access to global production networks, but they have also increased exposure to political risk, regulatory uncertainty, supply-chain disruption, geopolitical fragmentation, and distributional conflict. Recent debates over industrial policy, supply-chain security, investment screening, sanctions, climate-related trade measures, digital regulation, and the future of multilateral cooperation show that international business cannot be understood apart from political authority and institutional design. A political economy approach helps explain why firms face different operating environments across countries, why some policy commitments are credible while others remain fragile, and why the benefits and costs of openness vary across sectors, regions, firms, workers, and communities. This is especially important for understanding how businesses adapt their strategies, governance structures, investment decisions, and risk-management practices in an increasingly uncertain global economy.

Submissions may address how institutions and political environments shape international business decisions and outcomes, including export strategy, foreign direct investment, market entry, multinational enterprise activity, global value chains, supply-chain resilience, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, investment risk, and firm performance. Relevant topics include trade policy, investment treaties, trade agreements, regulatory quality, state capacity, corruption, political risk, economic nationalism, sanctions, industrial policy, institutional quality, and the domestic politics of openness, especially where these factors affect firms, sectors, investors, or managerial decision-making. Comparative, empirical, and mixed-methods contributions are welcome, as are studies linking international business and management research with political economy, development studies, public policy, law and economics, and institutional analysis.

When submitting to this Collection, please select the section "Management," and the title of the Collection when prompted.

Dr. Jorge Cerdeira is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, of the University of Porto and a researcher at IS-UP. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Porto. His research and teaching are focused on international business, international economics and international political economy.

Dr. Diogo Lourenço is Associate Professor at the School of Economics and Management of the University of Porto and a researcher at FEP.RC. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Porto. His research and teaching are situated at the intersection of political economy, economics and philosophy, and the history of economic thought.

The Guest Advisors do not have any conflicts of interest to disclose.

For more information about this Collection, please contact the Commissioning Editor, Dr. Molly Cole, at [email protected].