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Temporary Shocks and Offshoring: The Role of External Economies and Firm Heterogeneity

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Author Info
Devashish Mitra () (Syracuse University, NBER and IZA)
Priya Ranjan () (University of California, Irvine)

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Abstract

We construct a model of offshoring with externalities and firm heterogeneity. Due to the presence of externalities, temporary shocks like the Y2K problem can have permanent effects, i.e., they can permanently raise the extent of offshoring in an industry. Also, the initial advantage of a country as a potential host for outsourcing activities can create a lock in effect, whereby late movers have a comparative disadvantage. Furthermore, the existence of firm heterogeneity along with externalities can help explain the dynamic process of offshoring, where the most productive firms offshore first and the others follow later. Finally, we work out some unexpected welfare implications which show that net industry profits can be lower in an outsourcing equilibrium than in a regime of no outsourcing. Consumer welfare rises, and under fairly plausible conditions this effect can offset the negative impact on profits.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in its series IZA Discussion Papers with number 2811.

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Length: 33 pages
Date of creation: May 2007
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Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp2811

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Related research
Keywords: offshoring; outsourcing; Y2K; complementarity;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies
F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
O19 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - International Linkages to Development; Role of International Organizations

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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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    Other versions:
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  4. Bresnahan, Timothy F & Gambardella, Alfonso & Saxenian, AnnaLee, 2001. "'Old Economy' Inputs for 'New Economy' Outcomes: Cluster Formation in the New Silicon Valleys," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press, vol. 10(4), pages 835-60, December.
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  6. Richard E. Baldwin & Toshihiro Okubo, 2006. "Heterogeneous firms, agglomeration and economic geography: spatial selection and sorting," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 6(3), pages 323-346, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  13. Pol Antràs, 2003. "Firms, Contracts, And Trade Structure," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 118(4), pages 1375-1418, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  14. Andres Rodriguez-Clare & Laura Alfaro, 2004. "Multinationals and Linkages: An Empirical Investigation," 2004 Meeting Papers 145, Society for Economic Dynamics. [Downloadable!]
  15. Devashish Mitra & Priya Ranjan, 2005. "Y2K and Offshoring: The Role of External Economies and Firm Heterogeneity," NBER Working Papers 11718, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  16. Panagariya, Arvind, 1981. "Variable Returns to Scale in Production and Patterns of Specialization," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(1), pages 221-30, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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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. Mitra, Devashish & Ranjan, Priya, 2009. "Offshoring and Unemployment: The Role of Search Frictions and Labor Mobility," IZA Discussion Papers 4136, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  2. Devashish Mitra & Priya Ranjan, 2007. "Offshoring and Unemployment," IZA Discussion Papers 2805, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Devashish Mitra, 2009. "Offshoring and Unemployment: The Role of Search Frictions and Labor Minority," Working Papers id:2071, esocialsciences.com. [Downloadable!]
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