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Modeling the Offshoring of White-Collar Services: From Comparative Advantage to the New Theories of Trade and FDI

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James Markusen

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Abstract

Trade theory consists of a portfolio of models. What elements might be useful in modeling the offshoring of white-collar services, or do these issues call for an entirely fresh approach? I try to identifying some of the important aspects of this phenomenon and then argue that modeling could focus on (a) vertical fragmentation of production, (b) expansion of trade at the extensive margin, (c) fragments that differ in factor intensities and countries that differ in endowments, and (d) knowledge or capital stocks of countries or firms that are complementary to skilled labor, and create missing inputs for countries otherwise well suited to skill-intensive fragments. I argue that we can make good progress by selecting a number of "modules" from existing theory. I use these to formulate a series of simple "template" models which capture many of the characteristics of offshoring, and then use those models to identify the effects of technological or institutional changes which allow offshoring of white-collar services to occur.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 11827.

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Date of creation: Dec 2005
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:11827

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F2 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business

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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. Richard E. Baldwin & Frédéric Robert-Nicoud, 2007. "Offshoring: General Equilibrium Effects on Wages, Production and Trade," CEP Discussion Papers dp0794, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE. [Downloadable!]
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  2. Rosario Crinò, 2009. "Service Offshoring and White-Collar Employment," UFAE and IAE Working Papers 775.09, Unitat de Fonaments de l'Anàlisi Econòmica (UAB) and Institut d'Anàlisi Econòmica (CSIC). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Alan Deardorf, 2005. "Gains from Trade and Fragmentation," Working Papers 543, Research Seminar in International Economics, University of Michigan. [Downloadable!]
  4. Wilhelm Kohler, 2008. "Offshoring: Why Do Stories Differ?," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
  5. Dean, Judith & Fung , K.C. & Wang, Zhi, 2009. "How vertically specialized is Chinese trade?," BOFIT Discussion Papers 31/2008, Bank of Finland, Institute for Economies in Transition. [Downloadable!]
  6. Nilsson Hakkala, Katariina & Heyman, Fredrik & Sjöholm, Fredrik, 2008. "Multinational Firms and Job Tasks," Working Paper Series 781, Research Institute of Industrial Economics. [Downloadable!]
  7. Witada Anukoonwattaka, 2007. "Outsourcing and International Production of a Multinational: A Theoretical Model and Empirical Evidence from Toyota, Thailand," DEGIT Conference Papers c012_045, DEGIT, Dynamics, Economic Growth, and International Trade. [Downloadable!]
  8. Michael Hübler, 2007. "A Simple Model of Outsourcing with Cournot Competition," Kiel Working Papers 1320, Kiel Institute for the World Economy. [Downloadable!]
  9. Andrés Rodríguez-Clare, 2007. "Offshoring in a Ricardian World," Working Papers id:1043, esocialsciences.com. [Downloadable!]
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  10. Peter D. Ørberg Jensen & Jacob Funk Kirkegaard & Nicolai Søndergaard Laugesen, 2006. "Offshoring in Europe—Evidence of a Two-Way Street from Denmark," Peterson Institute Working Paper Series WP06-03, Peterson Institute for International Economics. [Downloadable!]
  11. Fabrice Defever, 2006. "Functional fragmentation and the location of multinational firms in the enlarged Europe," Cahiers de la Maison des Sciences Economiques bla06052, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1). [Downloadable!]
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  12. Joseph Francois & Julia Woerz, 2008. "Producer Services, Manufacturing Linkages, and Trade," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 8(3), pages 199-229, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  13. Hoekman, Bernard & Mattoo, Aaditya, 2008. "Services trade and growth," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4461, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  14. Demiroglu, Ufuk, 2006. "Offshoring Of Service Jobs," MPRA Paper 6437, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
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