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Unemployment and Welfare Consequences of International Outsourcing under Monopolistic Competition

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Abstract

This paper challenges the conventional academic view that international outsourcing is just another form of gainful trade. Contrary to this view, we show that labor-service outsourcing can reduce the high-wage country's welfare even when product-market trade is beneficial, within a model that combines involuntary unemployment and monopolistic competition. Outsourcing's impact on welfare is worsened by a definite loss of jobs and a possible contraction in the range of varieties produced worldwide. While owners of capital benefit from outsourcing under certain conditions, labor's welfare always falls.

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  • Richard A. Brecher & Zhiqi Chen, 2011. "Unemployment and Welfare Consequences of International Outsourcing under Monopolistic Competition," Carleton Economic Papers 11-07, Carleton University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:car:carecp:11-07
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    1. Richard A. Brecher & Zhiqi Chen, 2014. "Unemployment and welfare consequences of international outsourcing under monopolistic competition," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 47(2), pages 540-554, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Outsourcing; Offshoring; Unemployment; Welfare; Variety;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • F20 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - General

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