“The Role of Political Ideology in International Business in an Increasingly Polarized World”

Call for Papers – Special Issue: “The Role of Political Ideology in International Business in an Increasingly Polarized World”

Journal: Journal of World Business
Publisher: Elsevier
Submission deadline: 15 May 2026

Overview

Political ideology is increasingly shaping the behavior, strategy, and societal impact of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs). Despite its growing influence, the role of ideology remains under-theorized in International Business (IB) research, often limited to macro-level perspectives in the U.S. context. This special issue invites interdisciplinary, multi-level research to broaden our understanding of how political ideologies—at the levels of the firm, CEO, top management team, and beyond—shape global operations, internationalization strategies, and responses to the rising tide of global polarization and de-globalization pressures.

Key Research Themes

• Multi-Level Political Ideology: Investigating the impact of political leanings at various organizational echelons (e.g., firm, entrepreneur, team, or executive-level) on international entry modes, location choices, and global strategy.

• Ideological Motives for Internationalization: Examining whether MNEs and their leaders utilize international expansion or divestiture (e.g., market exits during geopolitical conflicts) to advance specific ideological agendas.

• Cross-Border Manifestations: Moving beyond the U.S.-centric liberal-conservative axis to explore how ideologies manifest across diverse institutional, cultural, and political systems worldwide.

• Sociopolitical Activism: Analyzing the drivers and consequences of CEOs and firms taking public stances on divisive global issues (e.g., climate change, inequality, democratic values).

• Formation & Conflict: Understanding how MNEs—operating across diverse political landscapes—form coherent political ideologies and the consequences of internal ideological incongruence.

Submission Details

• Submission window: 15 January 2026 – 15 May 2026.

• Submission portal: https://www.editorialmanager.com/jwb

• Article Type: Select the special issue title from the dropdown menu during the submission process.

Guest Editors

• Yannick Thams, Florida Atlantic University (ythams@fau.edu)

• Luis Alfonso Dau, Northeastern University (l.dau@northeastern.edu)

• Jonathan Doh, Villanova University (jonathan.doh@villanova.edu)

• Tatiana Kostova, University of South Carolina (kostova@moore.sc.edu)

• William Newburry, Florida International University (newburry@fiu.edu)

Why This Issue Matters

MNEs operate in a "politicized" global environment where firms are no longer neutral participants but active agents in ideological debates. By challenging traditional economic assumptions and broadening the epistemological lens of IB research, this issue aims to provide a rigorous framework for understanding the complex interplay between organizational strategy and the ideological realities of a polarized world.

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