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Asymmetric effects of trade costs on entry modes: Firm level evidence

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  • Tekin-Koru, Ayca

Abstract

Standard foreign direct investment (FDI) theory suggests that falling trade costs should discourage horizontal FDI. Most FDI is horizontal. Yet, the world witnessed an FDI boom in 1990s, a period of striking falls in trade barriers. This paper carries out an empirical analysis with rich, firm-level data on the activities of Swedish multinationals around the globe in manufacturing sectors from 1987 to 1998 to shed light on this apparent conflict. The analysis is based on the predictions of a recent literature with an industrial organization (IO) angle: Trade costs have asymmetric effects on foreign expansion modes. This view posits that falling trade costs encourage entry realized as mergers and acquisitions (M&As), one of the potential explanations for the conflict between received theory and recent trends in FDI. Empirical results confirm the findings of this recent literature and add to it by testing its extensions.

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  • Tekin-Koru, Ayca, 2009. "Asymmetric effects of trade costs on entry modes: Firm level evidence," MPRA Paper 21483, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:21483
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    Cited by:

    1. Pehr-Johan Norbäck & Ayça Tekin-Koru & Andreas Waldkirch, 2015. "Multinational Firms and Plant Divestiture," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(5), pages 811-845, November.
    2. Poonam Mehra Singh, 2017. "Competition or Comparative Advantage: What Drives Cross Border Mergers and Acquisitions?," Journal of Quantitative Economics, Springer;The Indian Econometric Society (TIES), vol. 15(3), pages 461-488, September.
    3. Xie, Dan, 2023. "Tariff cost and cross-border M&A affiliate sales: Evidence from China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    4. Seungrae Lee, 2016. "Post-production services and optimal integration strategies for the multinational firm," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 152(4), pages 597-628, November.
    5. Rudy Colacicco, 2015. "Ten Years Of General Oligopolistic Equilibrium: A Survey," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5), pages 965-992, December.
    6. Ayca, Tekin-Koru, 2012. "Cross-border M&As vs. Greenfield Investments: Does Corruption Make a Difference?," MPRA Paper 42857, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Amendolagine, Vito & Crescenzi, Riccardo & Rabellotti, Roberta, 2022. "The geography of acquisitions and greenfield investments: firm heterogeneity and regional institutional conditions," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 115597, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. Lee, Seungrae & Park, Seung Jae & Seshadri, Sridhar, 2017. "Plant location and inventory level decisions in global supply chains: Evidence from Korean firms," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 262(1), pages 163-179.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    foreign direct investment; entry modes; and trade liberalization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • F21 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Investment; Long-Term Capital Movements
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure

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