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International service transactions: Is time a trade barrier in a connected world?

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  • Bianka Dettmer

    (Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena)

Abstract

The 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 centre networks. Although a large number of business services are intangible and non-storable, gravity model estimates show that geographical distance between business partners is still relevant even when information and communication technologies (ICT) provide alternatives for face-to-face interaction. It has recently been argued that time zones can be a driving force of international service transactions by allowing for continuously operating over a 24 hours business day. In this paper, we find empirical evidence for the continuity effect in trade of business and commercial services which is even higher for trade with Non-OECD countries and robust to measurement and sample size. We show that the time zone effect in trading business services is dependent on the level of ICT infrastructure.

Suggested Citation

  • Bianka Dettmer, 2011. "International service transactions: Is time a trade barrier in a connected world?," Jena Economics Research Papers 2011-003, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    • Handle: RePEc:jrp:jrpwrp:2011-003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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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. 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.
    2. João Amador & Sónia Cabral, 2017. "Networks of Value-added Trade," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(7), pages 1291-1313, July.
    3. Amador, João & Cabral, Sónia, 2014. "Global value chains: surveying drivers and measures," Working Paper Series 1739, European Central Bank.
    4. 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.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. 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).
    9. 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.
    10. Sugata Marjit & Toru Kikuchi, 2011. "Time Zones and FDI with Heterogenous Firms," Discussion Papers Series 425, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    11. 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.
    12. Mandal, Biswajit & Prasad, Alaka Shree, 2018. "Time Zone Differences, Communication Cost and Service Trade," MPRA Paper 87465, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. 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.
    14. 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.
    15. 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.
    16. Egger, Peter H. & Larch, Mario, 2013. "Time zone differences as trade barriers," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 119(2), pages 172-175.
    17. 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.
    18. 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.
    19. 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.
    20. 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.
    21. 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.
    22. João Amador & Sónia Cabral, 2014. "Global Value Chains: Surveying Drivers, Measures and Impacts," Working Papers w201403, Banco de Portugal, Economics and Research Department.
    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

    Keywords

    international trade; business services; gravity model; distance; time zones; digital divide;
    All these keywords.

    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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