The Intersection of Family Firms and Institutional Contexts: A Review and Agenda for Future Research

Abstract

Examination of family firms’ interactions with institutional contexts has been a major research stream within family business scholarship. This study reviews three decades of research at the intersection of family firms and institutional contexts. Our review sample includes 124 articles published in 24 top-level journals across several disciplines. We adopt an institutional theory lens to synthesize this literature and explicate main understandings about how family firm behaviors/outcomes are influenced by or may influence formal and informal institutions in their institutional contexts. Moreover, we discuss major research gaps and unproductive biases in this research area and provide directions for future research.