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The heterogeneous effect of international outsourcing on firm productivity

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  • Fergal McCann

Abstract

This paper analyses how international outsourcing affects plant productivity. The results point to a striking pattern: the status of being an outsourcer matters strongly for firms that are indigenous and not exporting, while for exporters and foreign affiliates, tfp increases are lower, insignificant and sometimes negative. On the other hand, higher intensity of outsourcing matters for both exporters and foreign affiliates. Similarly, in dynamic analysis, indigenous non-exporters are found to increase tfp for two periods after entering into international outsourcing, while indigenous exporters experience one more weakly significant period of growth. The message is clear: international outsourcing’s effect on tfp is most pronounced when it serves as a first exposure to international markets.
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  • Fergal McCann, 2011. "The heterogeneous effect of international outsourcing on firm productivity," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 147(1), pages 85-108, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:weltar:v:147:y:2011:i:1:p:85-108
    DOI: 10.1007/s10290-010-0080-8
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    Cited by:

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    2. Murphy, Gavin & Siedschlag, Iulia, 2012. "The Effect of Real Exchange Rate Changes on Labour Productivity Growth," Papers WP439, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    3. Amador, João & Cabral, Sónia, 2014. "Global value chains: surveying drivers and measures," Working Paper Series 1739, European Central Bank.
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    5. John Baldwin & Beiling Yan, 2021. "Globalization, Productivity Performance, and the Transformation of the Production Process," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 123(4), pages 1088-1115, October.
    6. Holger Görg & Aoife Hanley & Ingrid Ott, 2015. "Outsourcing Foreign Services and the Internet: Evidence from Firm Level Data," The Economic and Social Review, Economic and Social Studies, vol. 46(3), pages 367-387.
    7. Saibal Kar & Meghna Dutta, 2018. "Outsourcing and Productivity During Economic Crisis: Evidence from Indian Manufacturing Firms," Arthaniti: Journal of Economic Theory and Practice, , vol. 17(2), pages 168-182, December.
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    9. Andrew Jia-Yi Kam, 2013. "International production networks and host country productivity: evidence from Malaysia," Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, The Crawford School, The Australian National University, vol. 27(1), pages 127-146, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Outsourcing; Imports of inputs; Productivity; Firm structure; F10; F23; L23;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • L23 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Organization of Production

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