IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/ifwkpb/76.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Globalisation and the future of the welfare state

Author

Listed:
  • Chen, Yu-Fu
  • Görg, Holger
  • Görlich, Dennis
  • Molana, Hassan
  • Montagna, Catia
  • Temouri, Yama

Abstract

[Conclusion] Taken together, the analysis in this paper does not support the conventional wisdom that the welfare state hinders country competitiveness, or that social expenditure (financed through corporate taxation) deters inward foreign direct investment. Instead, we find that welfare expenditure is positively associated with country competetiveness if vertical linkages (leading to aggregate scale economies) are high. In such a case, as argued theoretically by Molana and Montagna (2006), there may be a virtuous cycle of higher social protection, aggregate productivity and welfare. Also, updating and extending Görg, Molana and Montagna (2009) with an analysis using firm level data on the relocation decisions of multinational firms, we find that social expenditure may be attractive to inward FDI and may also act to anchor firms in the home country. Overall, the theoretical and empirical analysis in this paper suggests that the relationship between globalization, international competitiveness and the welfare state is far more complex than what is implied by the conventional wisdom. Further research is warranted to examine exactly the channels through which WS policies affect microeconomic adjustments to globalisation and, through these, countries' competitiveness and aggregate performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Yu-Fu & Görg, Holger & Görlich, Dennis & Molana, Hassan & Montagna, Catia & Temouri, Yama, 2014. "Globalisation and the future of the welfare state," Kiel Policy Brief 76, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:ifwkpb:76
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/97656/1/788031171.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Del Gatto, Massimo & Mion, Giordano & Ottaviano, Gianmarco I.P., 2006. "Trade Integration, Firm Selection and the Costs of Non-Europe," Conference papers 331548, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    2. Alesina, Alberto & Perotti, Roberto, 1997. "The Welfare State and Competitiveness," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(5), pages 921-939, December.
    3. de Mooij, Ruud A & Ederveen, Sjef, 2003. "Taxation and Foreign Direct Investment: A Synthesis of Empirical Research," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 10(6), pages 673-693, November.
    4. Geishecker, Ingo & Görg, Holger & Munch, Jakob R., 2007. "Do Labour Market Institutions Matter? Micro-Level Wage Effects of International Outsourcing in Three European Countries," IZA Discussion Papers 3212, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Sinn, Hans-Werner, 1997. "The selection principle and market failure in systems competition," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 247-274, November.
    6. Molana, Hassan & Montagna, Catia, 2006. "Aggregate scale economies, market integration, and optimal welfare state policy," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 321-340, July.
    7. Amable, Bruno, 2003. "The Diversity of Modern Capitalism," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199261147.
    8. Görg, Holger & Molana, Hassan & Montagna, Catia, 2009. "Foreign direct investment, tax competition and social expenditure," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 31-37, January.
    9. Baldwin, Richard E. & Krugman, Paul, 2004. "Agglomeration, integration and tax harmonisation," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 1-23, February.
    10. Torben M. Andersen, 2002. "International Integration, Risk and the Welfare State," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 104(3), pages 343-364, September.
    11. Dani Rodrik, 1998. "Has Globalization Gone Too Far?," Challenge, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(2), pages 81-94, March.
    12. Dani Rodrik, 1998. "Why Do More Open Economies Have Bigger Governments?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 106(5), pages 997-1032, October.
    13. Torben Andersen & Allan Sørensen, 2011. "Globalisation squeezes the public sector—is it so obvious?," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 18(4), pages 369-382, August.
    14. Casarico Alessandra, 2001. "Pension systems in integrated capital markets," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 1(1), pages 1-19, November.
    15. Torben M. Andersen, "undated". "International Integration and the Welfare State," Economics Working Papers 2002-2, Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University.
    16. Andersen, Torben M., 2002. "International Integration, Risk and the Welfare State," IZA Discussion Papers 456, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    17. Paul De Grauwe & Magdalena Polan, 2003. "Globalisation and Social Spending," CESifo Working Paper Series 885, CESifo.
    18. Bruce Blonigen, 2005. "A Review of the Empirical Literature on FDI Determinants," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 33(4), pages 383-403, December.
    19. Pennings, Enrico & Sleuwaegen, Leo, 2000. "International relocation: firm and industry determinants," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 179-186, May.
    20. Pemberton, James, 1999. "Social Security: National Policies with International Implications," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 109(457), pages 492-508, July.
    21. Bartelsman, Eric J & Caballero, Ricardo J & Lyons, Richard K, 1994. "Customer- and Supplier-Driven Externalities," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(4), pages 1075-1084, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Gülsün Gürkan Yay & Tolga Aksoy, 2018. "Globalization and the welfare state," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 52(3), pages 1015-1040, May.
    2. Deniz Sevinc & Edgar Mata Flores & Simon Collinson, 2020. "Are there inequality spillovers? Evidence through a modified inequality measure and European dynamics of inequality," Working Papers 545, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    3. Marcelo Santos & Marta Simões, 2021. "Globalisation, Welfare Models and Social Expenditure in OECD Countries," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 32(5), pages 1063-1088, November.
    4. Javier Bilbao-Ubillos, 2021. "The Crisis of the European Social Model in the Adverse Environment of Globalization," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 53(3), pages 478-500, September.
    5. Friedl, Andreas & Görlich, Dennis & Horn, Sebastian & Krieger-Boden, Christiane & Lücke, Matthias, 2015. "How to deal with inequality: Welfare system challenges and European responses," Kiel Policy Brief 85, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yu-Fu Chen & Hassan Molana & Catia Montagna & Holger Görg & Dennis Görlich & Yama Temouri, 2014. "Globalisation and the Future of the Welfare State. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 54," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 47156.
    2. Nigel Driffield & Holger Görg & Yama Temouri & Xiaocan Yuan, . "Multinational enterprises and the welfare state," UNCTAD Transnational Corporations Journal, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
    3. Molana, Hassan & Montagna, Catia, 2006. "Aggregate scale economies, market integration, and optimal welfare state policy," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 321-340, July.
    4. Bruno Amable & Donatella Gatti & Jan Schumacher, 2006. "Welfare-State Retrenchment: The Partisan Effect Revisited," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 22(3), pages 426-444, Autumn.
    5. Görg, Holger & Molana, Hassan & Montagna, Catia, 2009. "Foreign direct investment, tax competition and social expenditure," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 31-37, January.
    6. Amable, Bruno & Gatti, Donatella, 2004. "The Political Economy of Job Protection and Income Redistribution," IZA Discussion Papers 1404, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Hassan Molana & Catia Montagna, 2007. "Welfare State, Market Imperfections, and International Trade," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 95-118, February.
    8. repec:bla:scandj:v:104:y:2002:i:3:p:343-64 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Molana, Hassan & Montagna, Catia, 2007. "Expansionary effects of the welfare state in a small open economy," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 231-246, December.
    10. Narmin BAGHIRZADE, 2020. "Assessing Welfare States – Risk And Capability Of Trust," Law, Society & Organisations, Romanian Foundation for Business Intelligence, Editorial Department, issue 9 (2/2020, pages 87-93, December.
    11. Michele Di Maio, 2006. "Uncertainty, Gains from Specialization and the Welfare State," Working Papers 36-2006, Macerata University, Department of Finance and Economic Sciences, revised Oct 2008.
    12. Markus Leibrecht & Michael Klien & Oezlem Onaran, 2011. "Globalization, welfare regimes and social protection expenditures in Western and Eastern European countries," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 148(3), pages 569-594, September.
    13. Hannes Winner, 2005. "Has Tax Competition Emerged in OECD Countries? Evidence from Panel Data," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 12(5), pages 667-687, September.
    14. Andersen, Torben M. & Sørensen, Allan, 2023. "The interdependencies between the private and public sectors in open economies," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    15. Ikechukwu D. NWAKA & Stephen T. ONIFADE, 2015. "Government Size, Openness and Income Risk Nexus: New Evidence from Some African Countries," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 15/056, African Governance and Development Institute..
    16. König, Jan & Skupnik, Christoph, 2012. "Labor market integration of migrants: Hidden costs and benefits in two-tier welfare states," Discussion Papers 2012/5, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
    17. Paolo Epifani & Gino Gancia, 2005. "On Globalization and the Growth of Governments," Working Papers 267, Barcelona School of Economics.
    18. Paolo Epifani & Gino Gancia, 2009. "Openness, Government Size and the Terms of Trade," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 76(2), pages 629-668.
    19. Priyaranjan Jha & Rahul Mukherjee, 2023. "Global Taxation and National Welfare States," CESifo Working Paper Series 10522, CESifo.
    20. Gerda Dewit & Holger Görg & Yama Temouri, 2013. "Employment Protection and Relocation with Firm Heterogeneity," Economics Department Working Paper Series n234-13.pdf, Department of Economics, National University of Ireland - Maynooth.
    21. Lars P. Feld & Jost H. Heckemeyer, 2011. "Fdi And Taxation: A Meta‐Study," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(2), pages 233-272, April.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F6 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization
    • H5 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:ifwkpb:76. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/iwkiede.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.