We examine the role of the state as entrepreneur and institutional entrepreneur in the Middle East. Using historical event sequencing methodology we seek to understand the rise of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates as a context for international entrepreneurship. We build on ideas at the intersection of international entrepreneurship and institutional theory to develop a set of propositions that enhance our understanding of international entrepreneurship. We provide implications for the management of both global and local legitimacy, resource mobilization, and agency as well as the strategic deployment of an institutional infrastructure to create and enable entrepreneurship.
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