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Multinational Firms: Reconciling Theory and Evidence

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Author Info
James R. Markusen
Keith E. Maskus

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Abstract

An important component of Robert Lipsey's work has been his research on multinational firms, and his careful documentation of their behavior in terms of production and intra-firm trade. In this paper, we extend recent theory referred to as the knowledge-capital model', which simultaneously generates motives for both horizontal and vertical multinational production. We use this model to derive predictions about foreign affiliates' pattern of production for local markets versus production for exports as functions of country characteristics such as market sizes, size differences, and relative endowment differences. These predictions are then taken to data on affiliate production and trade. Results confirm several hypotheses. The ratio of production for export sales to production for local sale by affiliates of foreign multinationals depends negatively on market size, investment and trade costs in the host country, and positively on the relative skilled-labor abundance of the parent country (skilled-labor scarcity of the host country).

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 7163.

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Date of creation: Jun 1999
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Publication status: published as With Robert C. Feenstra and William Zeile, published as "Accounting for Growth with New Inputs: Theory and Evidence", American Economic Review, Vol. 82, no. 2 (1992): 418-421.
Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:7163

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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

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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. S. Lael Brainard, 1993. "A Simple Theory of Multinational Corporations and Trade with a Trade-Off Between Proximity and Concentration," NBER Working Papers 4269, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. J. Peter Neary, 1995. "Factor Mobility and International Trade," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 28(s1), pages 4-23, November.
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  3. Kevin H. Zhang & James R. Markusen, 1997. "Vertical Multinationals and Host-Country Characteristics," NBER Working Papers 6203, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. David L. Carr & James R. Markusen & Keith E. Maskus, 1998. "Estimating the Knowledge-Capital Model of the Multinational Enterprise," NBER Working Papers 6773, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  5. Blonigen, Bruce A, 1997. "Firm-Specific Assets and the Link between Exchange Rates and Foreign Direct Investment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(3), pages 447-65, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Wong, Kar-yiu, 1986. "Are international trade and factor mobility substitutes?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(1-2), pages 25-43, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Markusen, James R & Svensson, Lars E O, 1985. "Trade in Goods and Factors with International Differences in Technology," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 26(1), pages 175-92, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Markusen, James R., 1983. "Factor movements and commodity trade as complements," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(3-4), pages 341-356, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Blomstrom, Magnus & Lipsey, Robert E, 1989. "The Export Performance of U.S. and Swedish Multinationals," Review of Income and Wealth, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 35(3), pages 245-64, September.
  10. Bhagwati, Jagdish N. & Brecher, Richard A., 1980. "National welfare in an open economy in the presence of foreign-owned factors of production," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 103-115, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Horstmann, Ignatius J & Markusen, James R, 1987. "Strategic Investments and the Development of Multinationals," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 28(1), pages 109-21, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Magnus Blomstrom & Irving B. Kravis & Robert E. Lipsey, 1988. "Multinational Firms and Manufactured Exports from Developing Countries," NBER Working Papers 2493, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Brecher, Richard A. & Diaz Alejandro, Carlos F., 1977. "Tariffs, foreign capital and immiserizing growth," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 7(4), pages 317-322, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Lipsey, Robert E. & Blomström, Magnus & Ramstetter, Eric, 1995. "Internationalized Production in World Output," Working Paper Series in Economics and Finance 80, Stockholm School of Economics.
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  15. Magnus Blomstrom & Robert E. Lipsey & Lennart Ohlsson, 1991. "What Do Rich Countries Trade with Each Other? R&D and the Composition of U.S. and Swedish Trade," NBER Working Papers 3140, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Irving B. Kravis & Robert E. Lipsey, 1982. "The Location of Overseas Production and Production for Export by U.S. Multinational Firms," NBER Working Papers 0482, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  17. James R. Melvin, 1969. "Increasing Returns to Scale as a Determinant of Trade," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 2(3), pages 389-402, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. 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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  19. Robert E. Lipsey, 1988. "Changing Patterns of International Investment In and By the United States," NBER Working Papers 2240, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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