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A Theory of Defensive Skill-Biased Innovation and Globalization

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Author Info
Mathias Thoenig
Thierry Verdier

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Abstract

This paper considers a dynamic model of innovations in which firms can endogenously bias the direction of technological change. Both in a North-North and North-South context, we show that, when globalization triggers an increased threat of technological leapfrogging or imitation, firms tend to respond to that threat by biasing the direction of their innovations towards skilled-labor-intensive technologies. We show that this process of defensive skill-biased innovations generates an increase in wage inequalities in both regions. We then discuss suggestive empirical evidence of the existence of defensive skill-biased technical change.

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File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1257/000282803322157052
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File URL: http://www.aeaweb.org/articles/article_detail.php?journal=AER&volume=93&issue=3&article=11&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: 709-728
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Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:93:y:2003:i:3:p:709-728

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  1. J Peter Neary, 2001. "Foreign Competition and Wage Inequality," Working Papers 200102, School Of Economics, University College Dublin. [Downloadable!]
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  2. Ekholm, Karolina & Ulltveit-Moe, Karen-Helene, 2001. "Relative Wages and Trade-Induced Changes in Technology," CEPR Discussion Papers 2677, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  3. Thoenig, Mathias & Verdier, Thierry, 2000. "Trade Induced Technical Bias And Wage Inequalities: A Theory Of Defensive Innovations," CEPR Discussion Papers 2401, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  4. Maurin, Eric & Thesmar, David & Thoenig, Mathias, 2002. "Globalization and the demand for skill: An Export Based Channel," CEPR Discussion Papers 3406, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Freeman, Richard B., 1987. "Demand for education," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & R. Layard (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 6, pages 357-386 Elsevier. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Borjas, George J & Ramey, Valerie A, 1994. "Time-Series Evidence on the," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(2), pages 10-16, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Amsden, Alice H, 1983. "'De-Skilling,' Skilled Commodities, and the NICs' Emerging Competitive Advantage," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 73(2), pages 333-37, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Moulton, Brent R., 1986. "Random group effects and the precision of regression estimates," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 385-397, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Edward E. Leamer, 1994. "Trade, Wages and Revolving Door Ideas," NBER Working Papers 4716, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Kenneth Arrow, 1962. "Economic Welfare and the Allocation of Resources for Invention," NBER Chapters, in: The Rate and Direction of Inventive Activity: Economic and Social Factors, pages 609-626 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
  11. Daron Acemoglu, 1999. "Patterns of Skill Premia," NBER Working Papers 7018, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Williams, J.R., 1992. "How Sustainable is your Competitive Advantage?," GSIA Working Papers 1992-03, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business.
  13. Nelson, Richard R. & Winter, Sidney G., 1977. "In search of useful theory of innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 6(1), pages 36-76, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  14. Krugman, Paul R., 2000. "Technology, trade and factor prices," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 51-71, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  15. Elias Dinopoulos & Paul Segerstrom, 1999. "A Schumpeterian Model of Protection and Relative Wages," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(3), pages 450-472, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. David H. Autor & Frank Levy & Richard J. Murnane, 2001. "The Skill Content of Recent Technological Change: An Empirical Exploration," NBER Working Papers 8337, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  17. Epifani, Paolo & Gancia, Gino, 2002. "The Skill Bias of World Trade," Seminar Papers 707, Stockholm University, Institute for International Economic Studies. [Downloadable!]
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  18. Jeffrey D. Sachs & Howard J. Shatz, 1994. "Trade and Jobs in Manufacturing," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 25(1994-1), pages 1-84. [Downloadable!]
  19. Daron Acemoglu, 1998. "Why Do New Technologies Complement Skills? Directed Technical Change And Wage Inequality," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 113(4), pages 1055-1089, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  20. Markusen, James R. & Venables, Anthony J., 1998. "Multinational firms and the new trade theory," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 183-203, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  21. Evenson, Robert E. & Westphal, Larry E., 1995. "Technological change and technology strategy," Handbook of Development Economics, in: Hollis Chenery† & T.N. Srinivasan (ed.), Handbook of Development Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 37, pages 2209-2299 Elsevier. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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