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Functional fragmentation and the location of multinational firms in the enlarged Europe

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  • Fabrice Defever

    (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

Despite the recent advances in the theory of location, the analysis of the role of services surrounding production activity has been largely neglected. This paper analyzes the co-location of a multinational firm's value chain in the enlarged European Union. Depending on its particular characteristics, each function (or activity) would favor different country characteristics. Opposing this dispersion force, vertical linkages between stages can encourage firms to co-locate different activities in the same country. We use recently collected individual firm data on almost 11 000 location choices for a 5 years period and 23 countries. We analyze the determinants of location choice for each activity, including sectoral and functional agglomeration variables. We also illuminate the co-location of functions at the firm level, specifically that of R&D and production.

Suggested Citation

  • Fabrice Defever, 2006. "Functional fragmentation and the location of multinational firms in the enlarged Europe," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) halshs-00118808, HAL.
  • Handle: RePEc:hal:cesptp:halshs-00118808
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00118808
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Functional fragmentation; vertical linkages; location choice; Fragmentation fonctionnelle; liens verticaux; choix de localisation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure
    • R3 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location

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