Internationalization of companies in the contemporary government development agenda: critical and analytical reflections for international business

Abstract

As an essay, this article thinks through the internationalization phenomenon as a mediator in the relations between governments and companies in a context of wide international competition, given a global economic reality. Thus, this article argues that the internationalization of companies, due to its characteristics and externalities, becomes incorporated as a public problem in the governmental agendas, and it is an object of incentive, support, and induction. So, this article raises factors that support this claim on a historical basis, and it also suggests the development of a theoretical framework for identifying and analyzing this particular kind of policy. The conclusions are grounded in advocating that such policies, currently a tendency, must be addressed as a new variable to think of the business and national development strategies, whose theoretical and empirical implications may lead to rereadings both of the predominant approaches to internationalization (such as Dunning’s Eclectic Paradigm and the Uppsala School) and the public policy cycles, where their conflicts, goals, and benefits stand out. Thus, there emerges a new research line on the theme, particularly in developing countries.