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Make Versus Buy in Trucking: Asset Ownership, Job Design, and Information

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Author Info
George P. Baker
Thomas N. Hubbard
Abstract

Explaining patterns of asset ownership is a central goal of both organizational economics and industrial organization. We develop a model of asset ownership in trucking, which we test by examining how the adoption of different classes of on-board computers (OBCs) between 1987 and 1997 influenced whether shippers use their own trucks for hauls or contract with for-hire carriers. We find that OBCs' incentive-improving features pushed hauls toward private carriage, but their resource-allocation-improving features pushed them toward for-hire carriage. We conclude that ownership patterns in trucking reflect the importance of both incomplete contracts and of job design and measurement issues.

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File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1257/000282803322156981
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File URL: http://www.aeaweb.org/articles/article_detail.php?journal=AER&volume=93&issue=3&article=4&issue_date=June2003
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Article provided by American Economic Association in its journal American Economic Review.

Volume (Year): 93 (2003)
Issue (Month): 3 (June)
Pages: 551-572
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Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:93:y:2003:i:3:p:551-572

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  1. Baker, George P, 1992. "Incentive Contracts and Performance Measurement," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 100(3), pages 598-614, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  1. Acemoglu, Daron & Aghion, Philippe & Lelarge, Claire & Van Reenen, John & Zilibotti, Fabrizio, 2006. "Technology, Information and the Decentralization of the Firm," CEPR Discussion Papers 5678, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  2. L. Bottazzi & M. Da Rin & T. Hellmann, 2007. "Who are the active investors? Evidence from Venture Capital," Working Papers 611, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna. [Downloadable!]
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  3. Jakub Kastl & David Martimort & Salvatore Piccolo, 2008. "Delegation and R&D Spending: Evidence from Italy," CSEF Working Papers 192, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy, revised 17 Oct 2009. [Downloadable!]
  4. Arjun Jayadev & Samuel Bowles, 2004. "Guard Labor: An Essay in Honor of Pranab Bardhan," Working Papers wp90, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts at Amherst. [Downloadable!]
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  5. Pierre Azoulay, 2004. "Capturing Knowledge within and across Firm Boundaries: Evidence from Clinical Development," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(5), pages 1591-1612, December. [Downloadable!]
  6. Clarissa Yeap, 2006. "Residual Claims and Incentives in Restaurant Chains," Working Papers 06-18, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau. [Downloadable!]
  7. Ann Bartel & Saul Lach & Nachum Sicherman, 2005. "Outsourcing and Technological Change," NBER Working Papers 11158, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Ann Bartel & Casey Ichniowski & Kathryn Shaw, 2004. "Using "Insider Econometrics" to Study Productivity," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(2), pages 217-223, May. [Downloadable!]
  9. Evan Rawley, 2006. "How Do Mobile Information Technology Networks Affect Firm Strategy and Performance? Firm-Level Evidence from Taxicab Fleets," Working Papers 06-28, NET Institute, revised Oct 2006. [Downloadable!]
  10. Fredrik Andersson & Matthew Freedman & John C. Haltiwanger & Julia Lane & Kathryn L. Shaw, 2006. "Reaching for the Stars: Who Pays for Talent in Innovative Industries?," NBER Working Papers 12435, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. Yukako Ono & Victor Stango, 2005. "Outsourcing, firm size, and product complexity: evidence from credit unions," Economic Perspectives, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, issue Q I, pages 2-11. [Downloadable!]
  12. Bartel, Ann P & Lach, Saul & Sicherman, Nachum, 2008. "Outsourcing and Technological Innovations: A Firm-Level Analysis," CEPR Discussion Papers 6731, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  13. Sang Nguyen & B.K. Atrostic, 2006. "How Businesses Use Information Technology: Insights for Measuring Technology and Productivity," Working Papers 06-15, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau. [Downloadable!]
  14. Ajay K. Agrawal & Avi Goldfarb, 2006. "Restructuring Research: Communication Costs and the Democratization of University Innovation," NBER Working Papers 12812, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  15. Efraim Benmelech & Mark J. Garmaise & Tobias Moskowitz, 2004. "Do Liquidation Values Affect Financial Contracts? Evidence from Commercial Loan Contracts and Zoning Regulation," NBER Working Papers 11004, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  16. Benito Arruñada & Manuel González & Alberto Fernández, 2004. "Determinants of Organizational Form: Transaction Costs and Institutions in the European Trucking Industry," Economics Working Papers 767, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra. [Downloadable!]
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  17. Frank Mathewson & Ignatius J. Horstmann, 2004. "Coordination, Specialization and Incentives: An Equilibrium Model of Firm Boundaries," Econometric Society 2004 North American Winter Meetings 266, Econometric Society. [Downloadable!]
  18. Michael A. Kouparitsas, 2005. "Is there evidence of the new economy in U.S. GDP data?," Economic Perspectives, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, issue Q I, pages 12-29. [Downloadable!]
  19. Nick Bloom & Raffaella Sadun & John Van Reenen, 2009. "The Organization of Firms Across Countries," CEP Discussion Papers dp0937, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE. [Downloadable!]
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