We propose an economic model of business groups that allows for the cooperative behavior of groups of firms, where the number and size of each group is determined endogenously. In this framework, more than one configuration of groups can arise in equilibrium: several different types of business groups can occur, each of which is consistent with profit-maximization and is stable. This means that the economic logic does not fully determine the industrial structure, leaving scope for political and sociological factors to have a lasting influence. In a companion paper, we argue that the differing structures of business groups found in South Korea, Taiwan and Japan fit the stylized results from the model, and contrast the impact of these groups on the product variety of their country exports to the United States.
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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number
5886.
Length: Date of creation: Jan 1997 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:5886
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Find related papers by JEL classification: F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Country and Industry Studies of Trade D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
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