Foreign Entry into U.S. Manufacturing by Takeovers and the Creation of New Firms

Using U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data for individual foreign acquisitions and new establishments in the U.S from 1988 to 1998, and aggregate data for 1980 to 1998, we find that acquisitions and establishments of new firms tend to occur in periods of high U.S. growth and take place mainly in industries in which the investing country has some comparative advantage in exporting. New establishments are largely in industries of U.S. comparative disadvantage, and the relation of U.S. comparative advantage to takeovers is also negative, but never significant. High U.S. stock prices, industry profitability, and industry growth discourage takeovers. High U.S interest rates and high investing country growth and currency values encourage takeovers. Direct investments in acquisitions and new establishments thus tend to flow in the same direction as trade. They originate in countries with comparative advantages in particular industries and flow to industries of U.S. comparative disadvantage.

Does the Minimum Wage Affect Employment in Mexico?

This paper estimates the impact of a more than 50 percent reduction in the minimum to average wage ratio in Mexico between 1970 and 1990 using panel data on minimum wages in thirty-two Mexican states. Minimum wages are found to have little effect on male employment but a negative employment effect on females. Estimated elasticities are between -.58 and -1.25. Minimum wages do not affect employment of young males but have a small positive impact on the employment of older males, ages 55 to 64. This evidence suggests that increases in minimum wages shift demand away from less skilled workers towards relatively more skilled workers.Employment; Minimum Wage; Wage

Trade Liberalization and Firm Performance: The Case of Thailand

After the Asian Financial Crisis, Thailand\u27s trade policy has been driven by the proliferation of free trade agreements (FTAs). We use firm-level data to estimate the effects of reductions in tariffs applied to Thai imports on Thai firms. Reductions in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) tariffs were associated with increasing firm employment and exports, lower ASEAN-China import tariffs were associated with increasing firm employment, while lower tariffs from the Japan-Thailand FTA were associated with reductions in firm employment and increasing likelihood of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certifications. FTAs were associated with a decrease in firm R&D spending. (JEL F1, F2, F6

The Effect of Foreign Acquisition on Employment and Wages: Evidence from Finnish Establishments

This paper examines the effect of foreign acquisition on wages and employment of different skill groups using panel data on Finnish establishments for 1988-2001. Exploiting the availability of a rich set of preacquisition controls, we use various regression and propensity-score matching methods. The results indicate that foreign acquisition has a positive effect on wages. The magnitude of this effect increases with the level of schooling of the workers. The wage increase is not immediate, but occurs within one to three years from the acquisition. The results also indicate that the acquisition decreases the share of highly educated workers in the plant's employment. Copyright by the President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.