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Explaining Foreign Ownership By Comparative and Competitive Advantage: Empirical Evidence

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  • Christian Bellak

    (Department of Economics, Vienna University of Economics & B.A.)

Abstract

This paper provides empirical evidence on the determinants of foreign ownership in manufacturing industries. Foreign ownership, according to the theory of international production, is the result of the combination of comparative and competitive advantage. An adequate examination of the ownership structure of an industry requires the ability to establish empirically the extent to which international competitiveness of firms rests on comparative and competitive advantage. Analysis is based on a sample of the 30 largest manufacturing firms in Austria. The distinction and definition of comparative and competitive advantage as used in this paper and following from it the conclusions about the ownership structure are consistent with the empirical evidence about the share of employees in foreign-owned firms on the industry level. In particular, the classification of firms as foreign- or domestically-owned is in line with the revealed performance differences between foreign and domestic firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian Bellak, 1999. "Explaining Foreign Ownership By Comparative and Competitive Advantage: Empirical Evidence," Department of Economics Working Papers wuwp062, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:wiw:wiwwuw:wuwp062
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    4. Theresa Grafeneder-Weissteiner & Klaus Prettner, 2009. "Agglomeration and population ageing in a two region model of exogenous growth," VID Working Papers 0901, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.
    5. Engelbert Stockhammer & Paul Ramskogler, 2009. "Post-Keynesian economics How to move forward," European Journal of Economics and Economic Policies: Intervention, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 6(2), pages 227-246.
    6. Theresa Grafeneder-Weissteiner, 2010. "Demographic change, growth and agglomeration," Department of Economics Working Papers wuwp132, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Department of Economics.
    7. Engelbert Stockhammer & Paul Ramskogler, 2008. "Uncertainty and Exploitation in History," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(1), pages 175-194, March.
    8. Grafeneder-Weissteiner, Theresa & Prettner, Klaus, 2010. "Agglomeration processes in aging societies," Department of Economics Working Paper Series 131, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    9. Badinger, Harald & Kubin, Ingrid, 2007. "Vom kurzfristigen zum mittelfristigen Gleichgewicht in einer offenen Volkswirtschaft unter fixen und flexiblen Wechselkursen," Department of Economics Working Paper Series 101, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    10. Pasquale Commendatore & Ingrid Kubin & Carmelo Petraglia, 2009. "Footloose Capital and Productive Public Services," Chapters, in: Neri Salvadori & Pasquale Commendatore & Massimo Tamberi (ed.), Geography, Structural Change and Economic Development, chapter 1, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    11. Riedl, Aleksandra & Rocha-Akis, Silvia, 2007. "Testing the tax competition theory: How elastic are national tax bases in western Europe?," Department of Economics Working Paper Series 112, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    12. Engelbert Stockhammer & Lucas Grafl, 2010. "Financial Uncertainty and Business Investment," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(4), pages 551-568.
    13. Grandner, Thomas, 2007. "Product differentiation in a linear city and wage bargaining," Department of Economics Working Paper Series 109, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    14. Paul Ramskogler, 2007. "Uncertainty, market power and credit rationing," Department of Economics Working Papers wuwp105, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Department of Economics.
    15. Steidl, Annemarie & Stockhammer, Engelbert, 2007. "Coming and leaving. Internal mobility in late Imperial Austria," Department of Economics Working Paper Series 107, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    16. Özlem Onaran, 2007. "International financial markets and fragility in the Eastern Europe: "can it happen" here?," Department of Economics Working Papers wuwp108, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Department of Economics.
    17. Martin Currie & Ingrid Kubin, 2005. "Fixed Price Dynamics versus Flexible Price Dynamics," Department of Economics Working Papers wuwp089, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Department of Economics.
    18. Grafeneder-Weissteiner, Theresa, 2010. "Demographic change, growth and agglomeration," Department of Economics Working Paper Series 132, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    19. Smet, Koen, 2007. "Stuck in the middle? The structure of trade between South Africa and its major trading partners," Department of Economics Working Paper Series 115, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    20. Figerl, Jürgen & Grandner, Thomas, 2008. "Job quality and wages in duopsony," Department of Economics Working Paper Series 121, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Foreign Direct Investment; Comparative Advantage; Multinational Enterprises; International Production;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F - International Economics
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • L2 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior
    • L60 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - General

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