As important sources that shape institutional structures in an economy, professional and trade associations play significant roles in bringing and legitimating institutional changes. This paper examines the roles of professional and trade associations' impacts on institutions associated with a nascent and formative sector of a developing economy. In empirical terms, the paper offers an in-depth case study of India's National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) on institutional changes related to the offshoring industry. The NASSCOM case shows that under appropriate conditions, professional and trade associations represent an alternative to the state in shaping the industry landscape.
Kshetri, Nir and Nikhilesh Dholakia. "Professional and Trade Associations in a Nascent and Formative Sector of a Developing Economy: A Case Study of the NASSCOM Effect on the Indian Offshoring Industry." Journal of International Management vol. 15, no. 2 (June 2009): 225-239.
NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of International Management. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT [VOL 15, ISSUE 2, (JUNE 2009)] DOI 10.1016/j.intman.2008.09.003.