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Culture and Global Sourcing

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  • Kukharskyy, Bohdan
  • Gorodnichenko, Yuriy
  • Roland, Gerard

Abstract

This paper develops a model of global sourcing with culturally dissimilar countries. Production of final goods requires the coordination of decisions between the headquarter of a multinational firm and managers of their component suppliers. Managers of both units are assumed to have strong beliefs about the right course of action and are reluctant to adjust their decisions. We then characterize the optimal allocation of decision rights across firms when contracts are incomplete. Our theoretical model delivers two key predictions: An incentive of a firm to integrate (rather than outsource) its input supply is decreasing in cultural distance between the home and the host country and decreasing in trade cost between the two countries. Combining data from the U.S. Census Bureau s Related Party Trade with various measures for cultural distance and trade cost, we find empirical evidence broadly supportive of these two predictions.

Suggested Citation

  • Kukharskyy, Bohdan & Gorodnichenko, Yuriy & Roland, Gerard, 2015. "Culture and Global Sourcing," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 113015, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:vfsc15:113015
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Kukharskyy, Bohdan, 2016. "Relational contracts and global sourcing," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 123-147.
    3. Oliver E. Ogbonna & Hyacinth E. Ichoku, 2022. "Oil Price, Exchange Rate and Asymmetric Adjustment of Nigeria's Bilateral Trade," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2022(2), pages 195-213.
    4. Eppinger, Peter S. & Kukharskyy, Bohdan, 2017. "Contracting institutions and firm boundaries," University of Tübingen Working Papers in Business and Economics 100, University of Tuebingen, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, School of Business and Economics.
    5. Kukharskyy, Bohdan, 2015. "Relational contracts and global sourcing," University of Tübingen Working Papers in Business and Economics 83, University of Tuebingen, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, School of Business and Economics.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • 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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