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Service Outsourcing and Specialization: A Theory on Endogeneous Task Scope

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Abstract

We develop a model of outsourcing and trade in service inputs where the scope of tasks produced by both manufacturing firms and service providers is endogeneous. Manufacturing firms have to perform a fixed set of tasks in order to produce their final good but can decide to outsource some of these tasks to service providers, which, contrary to manufacturers, have the possibility to sell tasks to different manufacturers and thereby benefit from economies of scale in their task production. The key assumption is that the marginal cost of a firm (manufacturer or service provider) increases in the scope of tasks performed inside the firm: a firm which specializes in a narrow scope of tasks is more productive. Working against this incentive to produce as few tasks as possible "inhouse" is a fixed cost paid by each firm. The model yields several new predictions about trade liberalization and welfare as measured by aggregate productivity. An increase in the size of an economy raises the scale of all firms, facilitates greater specialization and therefore raises each firm's productivity. The model therefore generates gains from trade or larger market size through a "specialization effect" as opposed to the classical "variety effect" usually generated by models building on Dixit Stiglitz utility structures. Welfare increases due to adjustments in task scope allowed by the emergence of specialized service firms. Detailed Swedish data on what tasks (or occupations) are performed by workers is used to test this prediction. Indeed,we find that manufacturing firms in larger cities (controlling for firm size) perform fewer tasks inhouse than firms in smaller cities.

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  • Akerman, Anders & Py, Loriane, 2010. "Service Outsourcing and Specialization: A Theory on Endogeneous Task Scope," Research Papers in Economics 2010:14, Stockholm University, Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:hhs:sunrpe:2010_0014
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    Cited by:

    1. Jiwon Lee, 2022. "Niche Theory Analysis of Sustainable Strategic Relationships among MICE Destinations: A Case of Four Cities in Waikato and Bay of Plenty Regions of New Zealand," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-16, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    service outsourcing; division of labour; productivity; specialization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
    • F43 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Economic Growth of Open Economies
    • L24 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Contracting Out; Joint Ventures

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