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Information acquisition and institutions: An organizational perspective

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  • Ng, Travis

Abstract

Using a World Bank survey of Chinese firms, I construct a set of measures to capture the extent to which a firm involves outsiders in information acquisition. I find that firms that outsource more are not more likely to involve outsiders in acquiring information. Weakening contracting institutions raises the difficulty of safeguarding information leakage, more so when a firm involves outsiders in information acquisition than when no outsiders are involved. I test this prediction and find that firms under weaker contracting institutions are significantly less likely to involve outsiders in information acquisition.

Suggested Citation

  • Ng, Travis, 2013. "Information acquisition and institutions: An organizational perspective," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 301-311.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:iepoli:v:25:y:2013:i:4:p:301-311
    DOI: 10.1016/j.infoecopol.2013.08.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Information acquisition; Contracting institutions; Information leakage; Trade secrets; Theory of the firm;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L2 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior

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