What Prospects for Institutional Convergence across Advanced Industrialized Nations? Evidence from the Belief Systems of Senior Executives in Germany and Japan

Drawing on a growing body of literature suggesting a linkage between belief systems ("rationale") and the shape of national institutional structures, the authors explore the possibility of institutional convergence in two major economies, Germany and Japan. The authors use ethnographic data to reconstruct the belief systems of the constituency most likely to pressure for institutional convergence, namely, leaders of major MNEs from these countries. The authors find that their beliefs about the ideal shape of the economy continue to differ.