Disentangling the effects of domestic corporate political activity and political connections on firms’ internationalisation: Evidence from US retail MNEs

•We study how firms’ political activities and connections affect internationalization.•We study this in the context of the retail-services industry of the United States.•We find political activities to ease and connections to hinder internationalization.•Product diversification and international experience moderate this relationship.•We contribute to studies on firms political activities in international business.