Institutional settings in emerging markets are often plagued by state actors exploiting the vulnerability of resource-constrained small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Whilst we know a great deal about how large firms use non-market strategies (NMS) to navigate such institutional spaces, current knowledge of such strategies in connection with SMEs remains limited. Using in-depth interview data from a wide range of actors in Russia, we reveal the predatory behavior of state actors and how, in response, SMEs develop NMS to respond to fluctuating institutional conditions. We underline four forms of institutional predatory behaviors comprising shifting the rules of the game; privatizing power; selectively using/abusing laws; and normalizing informalities. In turn, we identify how SMEs variously adopt NMS to tackle these predatory strategies; namely deflection, alliance, concealment and internationalization. We highlight how SMEs learn to navigate, and ultimately to overcome, dysfunctional and fragile institutional conditions of emerging markets through the pursuit of particular NMS.

新兴市场的制度环境经常受到利用资源受限的中小型企业 (SME) 脆弱性的国家行为者的困扰。虽然我们对大公司如何使用非市场战略 (NMS) 来驾驭此类机构空间了解很多，但目前对与中小企业相关的此类战略的了解仍然有限。我们使用来自俄罗斯广泛参与者的深入访谈数据，揭示了国家参与者的掠夺性行为，以及中小企业如何开发 NMS 以应对波动的制度条件。我们强调了四种形式的制度掠夺性行为，包括改变游戏规则；私有化权力；选择性地使用/滥用法律；和规范非正式性。反过来，我们确定了中小企业如何以各种方式采用 NMS 来应对这些掠夺性策略；即偏转、联盟、隐蔽和国际化。我们强调中小企业如何通过追求特定的 NMS 来学习驾驭并最终克服新兴市场功能失调和脆弱的制度条件。