01449nam a2200145Ia 4500008004100000100002100041245008200062260000900144300001500153520094200168700004401110773002601154999001901180952010401199181130s2018    xx            000 0 und d  aKaufmann, Wesley  aFormal institutions, informal institutions, and red tape: a comparative study  c2018  ap.386-403.  aFirms across the globe are affected by red tape, but there is little academic research on how country?level institutions shape red tape perceptions. Drawing on institutional theory, we argue that a variety of formal and informal country?level institutions affect perceptions of red tape in the private sector. We test our hypotheses using six data sources, including the World Economic Forum and the World Bank. Our results indicate that red tape is weakly associated with a country's level of formalization and rule enforcement effectiveness and more prevalent in federal as opposed to unitary states. As for informal institutions, we find that red tape perceptions are more pronounced in countries with an increased conservative political ideology, higher levels of corruption, and cultures that emphasize individualism and uncertainty avoidance. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for theory and practice. - Reproduced.  aHooghiemstra, Reggy and Feeney, Mary K.  aPublic Administration  c506877d506877  00104070aIIPAbIIPAd2018-12-07h96(2), , 2018: p.386-403.pAR118672r2018-12-07w2018-12-07yAR