The Impact of Communist Ideology on the Patenting Activity of Chinese Firms
Top Cited Papers
- 1 February 2023
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Academy of Management in The Academy of Management Journal
- Vol. 66 (1), 102-132
- https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2020.0810
Abstract
The Chinese Communist Party began decoupling its policies and practices from Maoist communist ideology more than four decades ago, yet, why does Maoism continue to influence the behavior of Party members? In this study, we argue that although the influence of Maoist ideology has become weaker among younger Party members and Party members with higher educational attainment, such ideological decay is countered by a process of secondhand ideological imprinting. Based on data from 1,298 non-state-owned Chinese listed firms for 2000–2017, we find that firms with Party-member board chairs file fewer patent applications and are more likely to commit patent infringement. These effects are weaker if a board chair is younger or has higher educational attainment. Importantly, the moderating effect of young age is reduced as the presence of older Party-member corporate directors in a region becomes more prominent. However, the moderating effect of education appears to be unaffected by the presence of older Party-member directors. These findings generate fresh insights on the dynamics of ideological decay and persistence.Keywords
This publication has 100 references indexed in Scilit:
- Imprinting: Toward a Multilevel TheoryAcademy of Management Annals, 2013
- Multivariate Matching Methods That Are Monotonic Imbalance BoundingJournal of the American Statistical Association, 2011
- SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO? INFORMAL SOCIAL TIES AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP CHOICES: EVIDENCE FROM THE MUTUAL FUND INDUSTRY.Academy of Management Proceedings, 2009
- Competitive Irrationality in Transitional Economies: Are Communist Managers Less Irrational?Journal of Business Ethics, 2007
- Upper Echelons Theory: An UpdateAcademy of Management Review, 2007
- A Tale of Two Cities: Competing Logics and Practice Variation in the Professionalizing of Mutual FundsThe Academy of Management Journal, 2007
- Of Belts and Ladders: State Policy and Uneven Regional Development in Post-Mao ChinaAnnals of the American Association of Geographers, 1995
- The impact of reform on the party and ideology in ChinaJournal of Contemporary China, 1995
- Redefining the Political System of the USSR: Mass Support for Political ChangeAmerican Political Science Review, 1992
- The central role of the propensity score in observational studies for causal effectsBiometrika, 1983