Abstract
In this memoir, I aim to synthesize and reflect on my research journey since the beginning of my PhD, as it has emerged from the questions that I have cared about, and on how I envision my role and contributions in the years to come. (...) Coming from a multidisciplinary background in my master’s studies and a PhD training in management with more focus on business organizations has shaped my understanding of firms not as isolated entities, but as actors embedded in broader institutional and relational environments. My research centers on firm performance as the core outcome, explained through the diverse (non)market strategies and governance arrangements that firms choose in response to the institutional contexts in which they operate. By examining both strategic behavior and governance structures, I aim to shed light on the complex interplay between institutional conditions and firm decision-making. I consider institutions as neither uniform nor deterministic. Institutions are an evolving set of constraints and enablers that firms actively engage with, respond to and, at times, shape to survive and thrive. While my work does not directly address questions of economic welfare, it engages with firm-level processes that may offer indirect insights into broader patterns of value creation and distribution. In doing so, it contributes to advancing our understanding of the micro-level behaviors that can shape developmental outcomes and institutional effectiveness.