Corporate Restructuring and Labor Productivity Growth

This paper analyzes corporate restructuring and its role in generating labor productivity growth in a sample of large Swedish manufacturing corporations. It is found that external restructuring, including ownership changes, start-ups and closures of plants, accounted for up to 47 percent of the productivity growth of the sample of corporations during the 1986-96 period. The results indicate that the productivity of large multi-plant corporations grew almost twice as fast as that of single-plant firms with the same internal productivity growth, thanks to their organizational flexibility. Divestitures of low productive plants were found to play a particularly important role in the replacement process generating productivity growth. The effect of external restructuring on productivity is to some extent explained by a shift towards a more skill-intensive production.Corporate Restructuring; Labor Productivity Growth

THE STATE AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN VIETNAM

In recent years, the Vietnamese government has emphasized its commitment to create a fair business environment for both the state and non-state sectors in its medium and long-term economic development programs. This paper examines the development of the private sector in Vietnam, focusing in particular on the relationship between the state and the private sector. The first part of the paper reviews the trends in private sector development, the second part discusses obstacles for private sector development, with focus on the role of state-owned enterprises, and the third part discusses future challenges and suggests some policy reforms on the basis of the lessons from the first two decades of economics reforms in Vietnam, as well as international experiences. The paper also considers the pattern of new firm establishment, including the impact of foreign investment on the domestic private sector.Vietnam; economic reforms; private sector development; SOEs

The Effect of Offshoring on Labor Demand: Evidence from Sweden

We analyze the effects of offshoring of intermediate input production on labor demand in Sweden, distinguishing between workers with different educational attainments. The econometric results using data for the 1995-2000 period indicate that offshoring -- in particular to low-income countries -- tends to shift labor demand away from workers with an intermediate level of education. Offshoring to high-income countries, which is the largest component of overall offshoring, does not have any statistically significant effect on the composition of labor demand.Offshoring; Labor Demand; Translog Cost Function; Factor-Biased Technological Change

Foreign Operations of Swedish Manufacturing Firms - Evidence from the IUI Survey on Multinationals 2003

The paper serves as a documentation of the survey IUI has conducted on Swedish multinational firms (MNEs) in 2004. It describes recent trends in the operations of Swedish multinational firms participating in the survey and foreign direct investment (FDI) of Swedish firms in general. The survey is a follow-up of the surveys made by IUI since 1970s. The database covers information about the Swedish part of manufacturing multinational firms and the foreign affiliates of the firms. The following years are covered: 1965, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2003. Multinational Enterprises; Foreign Direct Investment; Spillovers; Research and Development

Location of R&D and High-Tech Production by Vertically Integrated Multinationals

We develop a two-country general equilibrium model where firms make separate choices about the location of R&D and high-tech production. There are two agglomeration forces: R&D spillovers and backward linkages associated with high-tech production. The latter tends to attract production to the larger economy. We show that, for relatively weak R&D spillovers and intermediate trade costs, the smaller economy tends to specialize in R&D. For certain parameterizations, both concentration and dispersion of R&D activities are possible outcomes. Hosting an agglomeration of R&D activities does not necessarily lead to welfare gains.monopolistic competition; R&D; high-tech production; agglomeration economies

Location of R&D and High-Tech Production by Vertically Integrated Multinationals

This paper presents evidence that, in Europe, production of high-tech goods is attracted to large markets, while R&D activities tend to be located away from them. In order to explain this phenomenon, we develop a two-country general equilibrium model where firms make separate choices about the location of R&D and high-tech production. There are two agglomeration forces: R&D spillovers and a home-market effect creating incentives for firms to locate production in the relatively large market. We show that, for relatively weak R&D spillovers and intermediate trade costs, the smaller economy tends to specialize in R&D. We also discuss the welfare consequences of different outcomes with respect to the location of R&D, showing that while skilled labor may gain from hosting an agglomeration of R&D activities, unskilled labor will lose.Monopolistic Competition; R&D; High-Tech Production; Agglomeration Economies

Cross-Border Acquisitions, Multinationals and Wage Elasticities

The growing number of cross-border acquisitions has in many countries raised concerns about labor demand consequences. In this study, we use detailed firm level data to examine how increased internationalization and multinational activity affect the volatility of employment, or rather, the wage elasticity of labor demand. We analyze whether the wage elasticity of labor demand differs between multinational and non-multinational firms as well as between foreign-owned and domestic firms, and we are able to distinguish between different skill groups of employees. Moreover, we separate between an acquisition effect and a general ownership effect. Our results do not show any general difference in wage elasticities between different types of firms.FDI; Cross-Border Acquisitions; Multinational Enterprises; Foreign Ownership; Labor Demand; Skill Groups; GMM

Cross-Border Acquisition or Greenfield Entry: Does it Matter for Affiliate R&D?

This paper investigates how the entry mode of foreign direct investment (FDI) affects the affiliate R&D activities using unique data on Swedish multinational firms over a long period of time (1970 to 1998). On average, acquired affiliates are more likely to do R&D and have a higher level of R&D intensity than affiliates created by greenfield entry. This difference in observed R&D is explained by differences in parent, affiliate, industry and country characteristics as well as by different reactions to these characteristics, as predicted by the recent theoretical literature on international mergers and acquisitions (M&As). The results also suggest that M&As are, to a larger extent, motivated by asset-seeking motives than greenfield entry, especially in the 1990s.FDI; M&A; Greenfield Investment; R&D; Multinational Firm

Multinational Firms and Job Tasks

We use Swedish matched employer-employee data to analyze the impact of multinational activity and foreign acquisitions on the relative demand for different job tasks. We contribute to the literature by using a conceptualization from the recent literature in international economics and define the division of labor in terms of job tasks. Our econometric results show that multinational firms, both foreign and domestic, are associated with higher shares of non-routine tasks and tasks requiring personal interaction than local firms. Moreover, acquisitions of local firms by both foreign and domestic MNEs tend to increase the relative demand for non-routine and interactive job tasks, i.e. tasks that are not easily offshored. As a comparison, dividing labor according to educational attainment does not capture the found effects on relative labor demand.FDI; Cross-Border Acquisitions; Multinational Enterprises; Foreign Ownership; Job Tasks; Labor Demand; Skill Groups

Should R&D Champions be Protected from Foreign Takeovers?

We analyze how the entry mode of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) affects affiliate R&D activities. Using unique affiliate level data for Swedish multinational firms, we first present empirical evidence that acquired affiliates have a higher level of R&D intensity than greenfield (start-up) affiliates. This gap persists over time and with the age of the affiliates, as well as for different firm types and industries. To explain this finding, we develop an acquisition-investment-oligopoly model where we show that for a foreign acquisition to take place in equilibrium, the acquiring MNE must invest sufficiently in sequential R&D in the affiliate. Otherwise, rivals will expand their business, thus making the acquisition unprofitable. Two additional predictions of the model – that foreign firms acquire high-quality domestic firms and that the gap in R&D between acquired and greenfield affiliates decreases in acquisition transaction costs – are consistent with the data.FDI; M&A; Multinational firms; R&D