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How Domestic and Foreign Firms Differ and Why Does it Matter?

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Author Info
Christian Bellak

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Abstract

This paper reviews and summarises the results of selected studies on performance gaps between multinational enterprises and their domestic counterparts. Performance gaps arise in such fields as productivity, technology, profitability, wages, skills and growth. While these gaps are often attributed to foreign ownership of the affiliates, the theory of the Multinational Enterprise argues that these gaps are due to being a Multinational rather than the nationality of the firm. Empirical evidence on the existence of performance gaps between foreign and domestic firms is supportive of this view: foreign ownership turns out to be a much less important explanatory factor than normally assumed. Firm-specific assets and firm characteristics like industry, size, parent country and multinationality per se are more important. Such results are broadly consistent with those derived in the literatures on ownership change, on foreign entry and on spillovers. We conclude that there is little case for foreign direct investment promotion policies to discriminate between firms on the basis of ownership. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 2004.

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Article provided by Blackwell Publishing in its journal Journal of Economic Surveys.

Volume (Year): 18 (2004)
Issue (Month): 4 (09)
Pages: 483-514
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Handle: RePEc:bla:jecsur:v:18:y:2004:i:4:p:483-514

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Harald Oberhofer, 2009. "Firm growth, European industry dynamics and domestic business cycles," Working Papers 2009-18, Faculty of Economics and Statistics, University of Innsbruck. [Downloadable!]
  2. Priit Vahter & Jaan Masso, 2005. "Home Versus Host Country Effects of FDI: Searching for New Evidence of Productivity Spillovers," Bank of Estonia Working Papers 2005-13, Bank of Estonia, revised 10 Dec 2005. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Bernhard Dachs & Bernd Ebersberger & Hans Lööf, 2008. "The innovative performance of foreign-owned enterprises in small open economies," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 33(4), pages 393-406, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Heyman, Fredrik & Sjöholm, Fredrik & Gustavsson Tingvall, Patrik, 2006. "Is There Really A Foreign Ownership Wage Premium? Evidence From Matched Employer-Employee Data," EIJS Working Paper Series 230, The European Institute of Japanese Studies. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Lehto, Eero & Böckerman, Petri, 2006. "Enemy of Labour? Analysing the Employment Effects of Mergers and Acquisitions," MPRA Paper 1812, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  6. C. Dembour, 2008. "Competition for Business Location: A Survey," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 8(2), pages 89-111, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Christian Bellak, 2004. "The Impact of Enlargement on the Race for FDI," Department of Economics Working Papers wuwp086, Vienna University of Economics and B.A., Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  8. Carmen Fillat Castejon & Julia Wörz, 2006. "Good or Bad? The Influence of FDI on Output Growth: An industry-level analysis," Working Papers 38, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw. [Downloadable!]
  9. Ana Teresa Tavares & Aurora A. C. Teixeira, 2005. "Human Capital Intensity in Technology-Based Firms Located in Portugal: Do Foreign Multinationals Make a Difference?," FEP Working Papers 187, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto. [Downloadable!]
  10. Erol Taymaz & Şule Özler, 2007. "Foreign Ownership, Competition, and Survival Dynamics," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer, vol. 31(1), pages 23-42, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Ana Teresa Tavares & Aurora A.C. Teixeira, 2006. "Is Human Capital a Significant Determinant of Portugal’s FDI Attractiveness?," FEP Working Papers 211, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto. [Downloadable!]
  12. Harald Oberhofer & Michael Pfaffermayr, . "Firm Growth in Multinational Corporate Groups," Working Papers 2008-10, Faculty of Economics and Statistics, University of Innsbruck. [Downloadable!]
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