IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ecj/econjl/v118y2008i532p1621-1639.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Unionised Labour Market and Strategic Production Decision of a Multinational

Author

Listed:
  • Arijit Mukherjee

Abstract

I show that a foreign firm may sell the same product through both foreign direct investment (FDI) and export, and this decision depends on the size of the product market. It happens irrespective of whether the labour market in the domestic country or in the foreign country is unionised. Unlike the existing works focusing on risk diversification in presence of demand or cost uncertainty, I explain the co-existence of FDI and export in a world with certainty. The endogenous determination of the wage rate plays an important role for my results. My analysis shows the effects of the fixed cost of FDI and competition in the product market on the production strategy of the foreign firm. Copyright © The Author(s). Journal compilation © Royal Economic Society 2008.

Suggested Citation

  • Arijit Mukherjee, 2008. "Unionised Labour Market and Strategic Production Decision of a Multinational," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 118(532), pages 1621-1639, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecj:econjl:v:118:y:2008:i:532:p:1621-1639
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    To our knowledge, this item is not available for download. To find whether it is available, there are three options:
    1. Check below whether another version of this item is available online.
    2. Check on the provider's web page whether it is in fact available.
    3. Perform a search for a similarly titled item that would be available.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Justus Haucap & Christian Wey, 2004. "Unionisation structures and innovation incentives," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 114(494), pages 149-165, March.
    2. Brian Aitken & Ann Harrison & Robert E. Lipsey, 2022. "Wages and foreign ownership A comparative study of Mexico, Venezuela, and the United States," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Globalization, Firms, and Workers, chapter 4, pages 61-87, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    3. Bughin, Jacques & Vannini, Stefano, 1995. "Strategic direct investment under unionized oligopoly," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 127-145, March.
    4. Arijit Mukherjee & Udo Broll, 2007. "Welfare Effects of Foreign Direct Investment: Cost Saving vs. Signaling," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 90(1), pages 29-43, January.
    5. Vannini, Stefano & Bughin, Jacques, 2000. "To be (unionized) or not to be? A case for cost-raising strategies under Cournot oligopoly," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(9), pages 1763-1781, October.
    6. 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 109-121, February.
    7. Bagwell, Kyle & Staiger, Robert W., 2003. "Informational aspects of foreign direct investment and the multinational firm," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 1-20, January.
    8. Bruce A. Blonigen, 2019. "In Search of Substitution Between Foreign Production and Exports," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Foreign Direct Investment, chapter 9, pages 293-323, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    9. Ignatius Horstmann & James R. Markusen, 1987. "Licensing versus Direct Investment: A Model of Internalization by the Multinational Enterprise," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 20(3), pages 464-481, August.
    10. Greaney, Theresa M., 2003. "Reverse importing and asymmetric trade and FDI: a networks explanation," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(2), pages 453-465, December.
    11. Munisamy Gopinath & Weiyan Chen, 2004. "Foreign direct investment and wages: a cross-country analysis," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(2), pages 231-231.
    12. Horstmann, Ignatius J & Markusen, James R, 1996. "Exploring New Markets: Direct Investment, Contractual Relations and the Multinational Enterprise," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 37(1), pages 1-19, February.
    13. Lopez, Monica Correa & Naylor, Robin A., 2004. "The Cournot-Bertrand profit differential: A reversal result in a differentiated duopoly with wage bargaining," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 681-696, June.
    14. repec:bla:jemstr:v:2:y:1993:i:4:p:483-507:a is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Rafael Rob & Nikolaos Vettas, 2003. "Foreign Direct Investment and Exports with Growing Demand," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 70(3), pages 629-648.
    16. Peter J. Buckley & Mark Casson, 2010. "The Optimal Timing of a Foreign Direct Investment," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: The Multinational Enterprise Revisited, chapter 2, pages 25-40, Palgrave Macmillan.
    17. Zhao, Laixun, 1998. "The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Wages and Employment," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 50(2), pages 284-301, April.
    18. Norman, George & Motta, Massimo, 1993. "Eastern European Economic Integration and Foreign Direct Investment," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 2(4), pages 483-507, Winter.
    19. Clausing, Kimberly A, 2000. "Does Multinational Activity Displace Trade?," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 38(2), pages 190-205, April.
    20. Sourafel Girma & David Greenaway & Katharine Wakelin, 2013. "Who Benefits from Foreign Direct Investment in the UK?," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 60(5), pages 560-574, November.
    21. Smith, Alasdair, 1987. "Strategic investment, multinational corporations and trade policy," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(1-2), pages 89-96.
    22. repec:bla:econom:v:38:y:1971:i:149:p:1-27 is not listed on IDEAS
    23. Dhillon, Amrita & Petrakis, Emmanuel, 2002. "A generalised wage rigidity result," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 285-311, March.
    24. Driffield, Nigel & Taylor, Karl, 2000. "FDI and the Labour Market: A Review of the Evidence and Policy Implications," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 16(3), pages 90-103, Autumn.
    25. Lipsey, Robert E & Weiss, Merle Yahr, 1984. "Foreign Production and Exports of Individual Firms," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 66(2), pages 304-308, May.
    26. repec:bla:scotjp:v:48:y:2001:i:2:p:119-33 is not listed on IDEAS
    27. Feenstra, Robert C. & Hanson, Gordon H., 1997. "Foreign direct investment and relative wages: Evidence from Mexico's maquiladoras," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(3-4), pages 371-393, May.
    28. Jay Pil Choi & Carl Davidson, 2004. "Strategic Second Sourcing by Multinationals," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 45(2), pages 579-600, May.
    29. Driffield, Nigel, 1999. "Indirect Employment Effects of Foreign Direct Investment into the UK," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(3), pages 207-221, July.
    30. Changkyu Choi, 2006. "Does foreign direct investment affect domestic income inequality?," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(12), pages 811-814.
    31. Jan Rose Skaksen, 2004. "International outsourcing when labour markets are unionized," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(1), pages 78-94, February.
    32. Bruce Kogut & Nalin Kulatilaka, 1994. "Operating Flexibility, Global Manufacturing, and the Option Value of a Multinational Network," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 40(1), pages 123-139, January.
    33. Jan Rose Skaksen, 2004. "International outsourcing when labour markets are unionized," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 37(1), pages 78-94, February.
    34. Keith Head & John Ries, 2001. "Overseas Investment and Firm Exports," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(1), pages 108-122, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rafael Rob & Nikolaos Vettas, 2003. "Foreign Direct Investment and Exports with Growing Demand," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 70(3), pages 629-648.
    2. Cao, Jiyun & Mukherjee, Arijit, 2018. "Foreign direct investment, unionised labour markets and welfare," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 330-339.
    3. Silvio Traverso & Guido Bonatti, 2015. "Education and FDI: An Insight from US Outflows," Journal of Social Economics, Research Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 2(3), pages 101-116.
    4. Mukherjee, Arijit, 2013. "Endogenous domestic market structure and the effects of a trade cost reduction in a unionised industry," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 30-33.
    5. Kiyota, Kozo & Urata, Shujiro, 2008. "The role of multinational firms in international trade: The case of Japan," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 338-352, August.
    6. Jacques, Armel, 2006. "Des firmes multinationales : un survol de la littérature microéconomique," L'Actualité Economique, Société Canadienne de Science Economique, vol. 82(4), pages 643-691, décembre.
    7. Ya‐Po Yang & Ying‐Yi Tsai & Su‐Ying Hsu, 2021. "Technology licensing, entry mode, and trade liberalization," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(2), pages 834-853, May.
    8. Maja Barac & Rafael Moner‐Colonques, 2022. "Leadership in internationalization strategies," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 90(3), pages 293-318, June.
    9. Yang-Ming Chang & Philip Gayle, 2009. "Exports versus FDI: do firms use FDI as a mechanism to smooth demand volatility?," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 145(3), pages 447-467, October.
    10. Amiti, Mary & Wakelin, Katharine, 2003. "Investment liberalization and international trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 101-126, October.
    11. Kamal Saggi, 2002. "Trade, Foreign Direct Investment, and International Technology Transfer: A Survey," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 17(2), pages 191-235, September.
    12. Daniel Leonard & Ngo Van Long, 2015. "Technology transfers and industry closures," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(4), pages 542-569, June.
    13. Tomohara, Akinori, 2019. "Migrant and business network effects on intellectual property trade: Evidence from Japan," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 131-139.
    14. Federico Carril‐Caccia & Elena Pavlova, 2020. "Mergers and acquisitions & trade: A global value chain analysis," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(3), pages 586-614, March.
    15. Renu Bansal & Dibyendu Maiti, 2024. "Capital Inflow, Strategic Subcontracting, and Formal Employment," Working papers 348, Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics.
    16. Raphaël Chiappini, 2016. "Do overseas investments create or replace trade? New insights from a macro-sectoral study on Japan," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(3), pages 403-425, June.
    17. Xiong, Tingting, 2022. "The Effect of Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) on the extensive and intensive margins of exports," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 68-79.
    18. Haoyuan Ding & Kees G. Koedijk & Chang Li & Tong Qi, 2021. "The internationalisation of Chinese firms: Impact of FDI experience on export performance," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(12), pages 3609-3640, December.
    19. Vettas, Nikolaos & Kotseva, Rossitsa, 2005. "Foreign Direct Investment and Exports Dynamics with Demand Learning," CEPR Discussion Papers 5262, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    20. Akinori TOMOHARA, 2017. "Do Migrant and Business Networks Promote International Royalty Receipts?," Discussion papers 17006, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ecj:econjl:v:118:y:2008:i:532:p:1621-1639. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley-Blackwell Digital Licensing or Christopher F. Baum (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/resssea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.