Foreign Direct Investment in Central and Eastern Europe: Employment Effects in the EU

We use firm-level data on Swedish multinationals to analyze how the recent expansion of affiliate employment in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has affected affiliate employment elsewhere. According to our results, employment in affiliates located in other low-wage countries in Europe decreased substantially as a consequence of the expansion in CEE. Furthermore, affiliate activities in these countries have become more sensitive to changes in labor costs as firms have set up production in CEE. We find that employment in Sweden and other high-wage European countries has also been affected, but these effects seem to be much smaller.Foreign Direct Investment, multinational enterprises, Central and Eastern Europe

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

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

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

Export-Platform Foreign Direct Investment

Export-platform foreign direct investment in which the affiliate's output is (largely) sold in third markets rather than in the parent or host markets has received empirical attention recently, but little theoretical analysis. This paper is an attempt to make some sense of this phenomenon. We use a three-region model in which there are two identical, large, high-cost economies and a small low-cost economy. Pure export-platform production arises in a symmetric case, when a firm in each of the high-cost economies has a plant at home, and a plant in the low-cost country (the South) to serve the other high-cost country. This occurs when trade costs for intermediates (components) and plant-fixed costs are moderate and the South has a moderate cost advantage in assembly. Another interesting and empirically important case arises when there is trade liberalization between one of the high-cost countries and the small, low-cost country. The outside high-cost country may wish to build a branch plant inside the free trade area due to market size, but chooses the low-cost country on the basis of cost. Or a firm headquartered in the large country inside the free-trade area might build a single plant in its low-wage partner in order to serve their joint free-trade area and to export to the outside high-cost country.

Offshoring and the onshore composition of tasks and skills

We analyze the relationship between offshoring and the onshore workforce composition in German multinational enterprises (MNEs), using plant data that allow us to discern tasks, occupations, and workforce skills. Offshoring is associated with a statistically significant shift towards more non-routine and more interactive tasks, and with a shift towards highly educated workers. The shift towards highly educated workers is in excess of what is implied by changes in either the task or the occupational composition. Offshoring to low-income countries—with the exception of Central and Eastern European countries—is associated with stronger onshore responses. We find offshoring to predict between 10 and 15 percent of observed changes in wage-bill shares of highly educated workers and measures of non-routine and interactive tasks

Does FDI Work as a Channel for R&D Spillovers? Evidence Based on Swedish Data

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are important in transmitting technology across national borders. Not only do they allow for transfer of technology within the firm, but it is also believed that they are important channels for international R&D spillovers as well. This paper analyzes empirically whether inward and outward foreign direct investment (FDI) work as channels for international R&D spillovers. We utilize firm-level as well as industry-level data for Swedish manufacturing in the analysis. We find no evidence of FDI-related R&D spillovers - neither at the firm-level nor at the industry-level in Swedish manufacturing. The only variable that consistently affects total factor productivity is own investment in R&D.Multinational enterprises; Foreign direct investment; Spillovers; Research and development

Offshoring and the Onshore Composition of Tasks and Skills

We analyze the relationship between o®shoring and the onshore workforce composition tasks, occupations, and workforce skills. O®shoring is associated with a statistically signi¯cant shift towards more non-routine and more interactive tasks, and with a shift towards highly educated workers. Moreover, the shift towards highly educated work- ers is in excess of what is implied by changes in either the task or the occupational composition. Whether o®shored activities are located in low-income or high-income countries does not alter the direction of the relationship. We ¯nd o®shoring to predict between 10 and 15 percent of observed changes in wage-bill shares of highly educated workers and measures of non-routine and interactive tasks.trade in tasks, multinational firms, demand for labor, linked-employer-employee data

Location choice and employment decisions: a comparison of German and Swedish multinationals

Using data for German and Swedish multinational enterprises (MNEs), this paper assesses international employment patterns. It analyzes determinants of location choice and the degree of substitutability of labor across locations. Countries with highly skilled labor forces attract German MNEs, but we nd no such evidence for Swedish MNEs. This is consistent with the hypothesis that German MNEs locate production stages intensive in high-skilled labor abroad. In MNEs from either country, af liate employment tends to substitute for employment at the parent rm. At the margin, substitutability is the strongest with respect to af liate employment in Western Europe. A one percent larger wage gap between Germany and locations in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is estimated to be associated with 900 fewer jobs in German parents and 5,000 more jobs in af liates located in CEE. A one percent larger wage gap between Sweden and CEE is estimated to be associated with 140 fewer jobs in Swedish parents and 260 more jobs in af liates located in CEE. --Multinational enterprises,location choice,multinomial choice,labor demand,translog cost function

Offshoring and the Onshore Composition of Tasks and Skills

We analyze the relationship between offshoring and the onshore workforce composition in German multinational enterprises (MNEs), using plant data that allow us to discern tasks, occupations, and workforce skills. Offshoring is associated with a statistically significant shift towards more non-routine and more interactive tasks, and with a shift towards highly educated workers. Moreover, the shift towards highly educated workers is in excess of what is implied by changes in either the task or the occupational composition. Whether offshored activities are located in low-income or high-income countries does not alter the direction of the relationship. We find offshoring to predict between 10 and 15 percent of observed changes in wage-bill shares of highly educated workers and measures of non-routine and interactive tasks