Researchers identify institutional voids as serious roadblocks to economic development. Mobile payment systems offer a promise to fill institutional voids in emerging economies. Financial technology companies can help to “bank the unbanked” by leapfrogging financial services found in more developed economies. However, both, economic regulations as well as technological solutions for institution building, such as cryptocurrencies, show mixed results. Institutional Theory extends institutional voids research by acknowledging the social dimension of institutions. Constitutive rules help to conceptualize the cultural-cognitive dimension of payment institutions. The study of Paga, the premier mobile payment platform of Nigeria, reveals the emergence of constitutive rules through the interplay of technology development and social action. Constitutive rules are vital for financial technology innovation, and more generally in the institutionalization of service ecosystems. The case demonstrates the central role of partner-networks in establishing mobile payment institutions.
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Ehret et al. (2023) studied this question.
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