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International Service Transactions: Is Time a Trade Barrier in a Connected World?

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  • Bianka Dettmer

Abstract

Firms' international fragmentation of production has recently widened its focus from outsourcing of intermediates to off-shoring of business services such as software program development and international call center networks. Although many services are intangible and non-storable, gravity model estimates show that geographical distance between business partners matters less for commercial service transactions. Rather, time zones can be a driving force of international service trade by allowing for continuous operation over a 24 hours business day (continuity effect) when a proper division of labor is feasible and countries are connected to electronic communications infrastructure (ICT). But even when ICT provides alternatives for face-to-face interaction, time zones can act as a barrier when coordination problems with sleeping business partners occur (synchronization effect). In this paper, we find empirical evidence for the continuity effect in trade of business services, which is robust to measurement and sample size. Even more important is that the effect of time zones on service trade depends on access to ICT. An improvement of ICT infrastructure will affect business service trade at long time zone distances significantly more than trade at short time zone distances.

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  • Bianka Dettmer, 2014. "International Service Transactions: Is Time a Trade Barrier in a Connected World?," International Economic Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(2), pages 225-254, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:intecj:v:28:y:2013:i:2:p:225-254
    DOI: 10.1080/10168737.2013.825305
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    1. Jeffrey A. Frankel, 1998. "The Regionalization of the World Economy," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number fran98-1, March.
    2. Marjit, Sugata, 2007. "Trade theory and the role of time zones," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 153-160.
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    Cited by:

    1. Amador, João & Cabral, Sónia, 2014. "Global value chains: surveying drivers and measures," Working Paper Series 1739, European Central Bank.
    2. Toru Kikuchi & Sugata Marjit & Biswajit Mandal, 2013. "Trade with Time Zone Differences: Factor Market Implications," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 17(4), pages 699-711, November.
    3. Mandal, Biswajit, 2024. "Digital Mobility of Financial Capital Across Different Time Zones, Factor Prices and Sectoral Composition," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1371, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    4. Biswajit Mandal & Sujata Ghosh, 2020. "Communication Cost, Skilled-Unskilled Wage, and Informality," Journal of Quantitative Economics, Springer;The Indian Econometric Society (TIES), vol. 18(4), pages 927-939, December.
    5. Camille Reverdy, 2023. "Estimating the general equilibrium effects of services trade liberalization," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 493-521, May.
    6. Mandal, Biswajit & Marjit, Sugata & Nakanishi, Noritsugu, 2013. "Time Zones, Factor Prices and Inflow of Educational Capital: Changing Sectoral Composition," MPRA Paper 50883, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Vilas Pathikonda & Thomas Farole, 2017. "The Capabilities Driving Participation in Global Value Chains," Journal of International Commerce, Economics and Policy (JICEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 8(01), pages 1-26, February.
    8. Biswajit Mandal & Sugata Marjit & Noritsugu Nakanishi, 2018. "Outsourcing, factor prices and skill formation in countries with non-overlapping time zones," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 8(2), pages 289-304, August.
    9. Biswajit Mandal & Alaka Shree Prasad, 2020. "A simple model of time zone differences, virtual trade and informality," Indian Growth and Development Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(1), pages 81-96, June.
    10. João Amador & Sónia Cabral, 2014. "Global Value Chains: Surveying Drivers, Measures and Impacts," Working Papers w201403, Banco de Portugal, Economics and Research Department.
    11. João Amador & Sónia Cabral, 2017. "Networks of Value-added Trade," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(7), pages 1291-1313, July.
    12. Socrates K. Majune & Judy K. Kaaria & Evelyne N. Kihiu, 2023. "Determinants of intra‐COMESA trade in services," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 35(4), pages 416-428, December.
    13. Burcu Ozcan, 2018. "Information and communications technology (ICT) and international trade: evidence from Turkey," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 8(1), pages 93-113, April.
    14. Sugata Marjit & Toru Kikuchi, 2011. "Time Zones and FDI with Heterogenous Firms," Discussion Papers Series 425, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    15. Alaka Shree Prasad & Biswajit Mandal, 2019. "Time zone difference, skill formation and corrupt informal sector: the role of virtual trade," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 54(2), pages 261-290, December.
    16. Mandal, Biswajit & Prasad, Alaka Shree, 2018. "Time Zone Differences, Communication Cost and Service Trade," MPRA Paper 87465, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Bianka Dettmer, 2012. "The European Union's service directive: Contrasting ex ante estimates with empirical evidence," Jena Economics Research Papers 2012-019, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    18. Edward Anderson, 2014. "Time differences, communication and trade: longitude matters II," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 150(2), pages 337-369, May.
    19. Egger, Peter H. & Larch, Mario, 2013. "Time zone differences as trade barriers," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 119(2), pages 172-175.
    20. Noritsugu Nakanishi & Ngo Van Long, 2015. "The Distributional and Allocative Impacts of Virtual Labor Mobility across Time Zones through Communication Networks," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(3), pages 638-662, August.
    21. Prasad, Alaka Shree & Mandal, Biswajit, 2019. "Virtual trade between different time zones, educational capital and corrupt informal sector," MPRA Paper 96963, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    22. Joachim Wagner, 2019. "Time zones and German exports: first evidence from firm-product level data," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 155(1), pages 181-198, February.
    23. Burcu Ozcan & Hiranya Nath, 2016. "Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and International Trade: Evidence from Turkey," Working Papers 1609, Sam Houston State University, Department of Economics and International Business.
    24. Dolores Añon Higón & Juan A. Daniel Bonvin, 2023. "Do digitalization spurs SMEs’ participation in foreign markets?," Working Papers 2307, Department of Applied Economics II, Universidad de Valencia.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • F20 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - General

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