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Vertical Integration and Efficiency: an application to the Italian Machine Tool Industry

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Author Info

  • Fabio Pieri
  • Enrico Zaninotto

    () (DISA, Faculty of Economics, Trento University)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the relationship between firm efficiency and vertical integration in the Italian machine tool (MT) industry. A theoretical model of entry and competition within an industry has been set up. In this model firms can choose either to be vertically integrated or not: the most efficientfirms self-select in being vertically integrated, while less efficientfirms prefer a disintegrated structure and they both coexist in equilibrium. In the second part of the paper the relationship between efficiency and vertical integration has been tested using a stochastic frontier framework in an novel panel dataset including around 500 MT builders. The theoretical prediction is confirmed: outsourcing seems a rational choice for less efficient firms to make positive operating profits and stay in the market; on the other hand, more efficient firms exploit their efficiency advantage to control a greater part of the production chain, possibly benefiting from greater coordination among different phases and tailored intermediate inputs.

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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by Department of Computer and Management Sciences, University of Trento, Italy in its series DISA Working Papers with number 1006.

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Length: 42 pages
Date of creation: Nov 2010
Date of revision: 24 Nov 2010
Handle: RePEc:trt:disawp:1006

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Related research

Keywords: vertical integration; technical efficiency; firm heterogeneity; heteroskedastic frontier model;

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References

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  1. Karsten Bjerring Olsen, 2006. "Productivity Impacts of Offshoring and Outsourcing: A Review," OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers 2006/1, OECD Publishing.
  2. Eric Bartelsman & Stefano Scarpetta & Fabiano Schivardi, 2005. "Comparative analysis of firm demographics and survival: evidence from micro-level sources in OECD countries," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press, vol. 14(3), pages 365-391, June.
  3. Kodde, David A & Palm, Franz C, 1986. "Wald Criteria for Jointly Testing Equality and Inequality Restriction s," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 54(5), pages 1243-48, September.
  4. Jondrow, James & Knox Lovell, C. A. & Materov, Ivan S. & Schmidt, Peter, 1982. "On the estimation of technical inefficiency in the stochastic frontier production function model," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 19(2-3), pages 233-238, August.
  5. Caudill, Steven B & Ford, Jon M & Gropper, Daniel M, 1995. "Frontier Estimation and Firm-Specific Inefficiency Measures in the Presence of Heteroscedasticity," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 13(1), pages 105-11, January.
  6. Erol Taymaz, 2005. "Are Small Firms Really Less Productive?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 25(5), pages 429-445, December.
  7. Giovanni Dosi & Marco Grazzi & Chiara Tomasi & Alessandro Zeli, 2010. "Turbulence underneath the big calm? Exploring the micro-evidence behind the flat trend of manufacturing productivity in Italy," LEM Papers Series 2010/03, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
  8. Rolfo Secondo, 1998. "L'industria italiana della meccanica strumentale di fronte alla globalizzazione: opportunità e limiti," L'industria, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 4, pages 881-894.
  9. Caudill, Steven B. & Ford, Jon M., 1993. "Biases in frontier estimation due to heteroscedasticity," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 17-20.
  10. Rolfo Secondo & Calabrese Giuseppe, 2006. "Struttura industriale e profili di competitività nella meccanica strumentale," L'industria, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 4, pages 603-622.
  11. Antonio Alvarez & Christine Amsler & Luis Orea & Peter Schmidt, 2006. "Interpreting and Testing the Scaling Property in Models where Inefficiency Depends on Firm Characteristics," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 25(3), pages 201-212, 06.
  12. Helpman, Elhanan & Antras, Pol, 2004. "Global Sourcing," Scholarly Articles 4784029, Harvard University Department of Economics.
  13. Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W, 1986. "Large Shareholders and Corporate Control," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(3), pages 461-88, June.
  14. RITTER, Christian & SIMAR, Leopold, 1994. "Pitfalls of Normal-Gamma Stochastic Frontier Models," CORE Discussion Papers 1994041, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
  15. Aigner, Dennis & Lovell, C. A. Knox & Schmidt, Peter, 1977. "Formulation and estimation of stochastic frontier production function models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 6(1), pages 21-37, July.
  16. M. Diaz & Rosario Sanchez, 2008. "Firm size and productivity in Spain: a stochastic frontier analysis," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 30(3), pages 315-323, March.
  17. Stefano Federico, 2010. "Outsourcing versus Integration at Home or Abroad," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 742, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
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