Multinational firms, exclusivity, and backward linkages

How does the nature of contractual relationships between a multinational and its local suppliers affect backward linkages and welfare in the local industry? We address this question in a two-tier oligopoly model where a multinational transfers technology to its suppliers if they accept an exclusive contract that precludes them from serving its local rivals. Invited suppliers balance the benefits of gaining access to new technology and the derived demand of the multinational against the opportunity of selling to other local firms. Exclusivity reduces competition among local suppliers and can lower backward linkages and local welfare relative to autarky.     

Private labels and public quality standards: How can consumer trust be restored after the mad cow crisis?

In those sectors faced with questions of food safety (meat, fruit, vegetables), new private labels have been set up in Europe in order to restore consumer trust. In this paper, we perform a theoretical analysis of these private labels. We propose an original model of vertical relationships between producers and retailers which takes into account two supply sources through (i) a competitive spot market on which the retailers buy a minimum quality standard product and (ii) supply contracts aimed at marketing higher quality private labels. We study how producers and retailers could cooperate in setting up these new labels. From a public point of view, we show the complementarity of a moderate increase in public quality standards and the creation of these new private labels. JEL Classification L22. L23. Q13. Q18     

我国钢铁业产业内贸易的实证研究

文章从整体和分类两个层面上对我国钢产量居世界第一以来的钢铁业产业内贸易的水平和结构进行了实证研究。结果表明,我国钢铁业产业内贸易水平较低,贸易变动主要由产业间贸易引起;而且钢铁业的垂直型产业内贸易水平较低,产业内贸易以水平型产业内贸易为主。我国为此应该采取相关对策,促进钢铁业产业内贸易的发展。     

Moving up or moving out? A unified theory of R&D, FDI, and trade

This paper introduces industrial heterogeneity in R&D productivity into the quality-ladder model of the North-South trade to study how firms' choices made between R&D and foreign direct investment (FDI) vary across industries, and how such choices consequently determine the evolution of comparative advantage and trade. It shows that trade reveals product-cycle dynamics in medium-tech industries but remains static in others. High-tech industries experience continued innovation in the North with no migration of product lines. Medium- and low-tech industries migrate South via FDI to exploit low production costs with the South then replacing the North as the dominant exporter. However, medium-tech industry production eventually shifts back to the North when superior products are marketed by Northern innovators, making the end of one complete product cycle and the start of the next. Because of marginal R&D productivity, the relocated low-tech industries are not presented with the option of moving up and thus stagnate.     

Gender wage inequality and labour mobility in the hospitality sector

The main aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly we analyse the effects of educational mismatch on workers’ occupational mobility and secondly, we quantify the contribution of educational mismatch and labour mobility on gender wage inequality. The decomposition of the gender wage gap was controlled by different types of gender segregation. We use matched employer-employee data from 302 hotels in Andalusia. The evidence suggests that not only is external mobility far higher than internal mobility in this sector, but also that it is the main cause of wage inequality. The reason for this is the existence of labour discrimination against women, which manifests as a lack of access to labour improvements under the same conditions as men. Educational mismatch has a limited effect on internal and external mobility. Finally, gender discrimination is the overall cause of gender wage inequality and is mainly due to horizontal segregation and external mobility.     

中美产业内贸易研究

本文对中美工业制成品产业内贸易的发展及特征进行了实证研究,发现中美双边贸易中工业制成品产业内贸易所占比重有所提高,其中,机械和运输设备产业内贸易所占比重最高;垂直产业内贸易是中美产业内贸易的主要形式;市场容量扩大、跨国公司价值链管理的需要以及一体化生产体系的构筑均有利于促进双边产业内贸易的发展,中国关税税率的大幅削减对产业内贸易发展的促进作用并不明显,规模经济和贸易障碍对其则尚存消极影响。     

Comparing vertical restraints

When faced with the need to protect dealer provision of promotional services for their products, manufacturers have continued to impose resale price maintenance (RPM) in preference to providing exclusive territories, even though the latter are legal while RPM is not. This paper compares RPM and territories, finding that RPM raises retail prices by less, but also supports less service provision than the exclusive territories alternative. Indeed, exclusive territories raise prices and generate more services than full manufacturer integration into distribution. This result calls into question the current contrasting legal treatment of territories and RPM.     

Verti-zontal differentiation in export markets

Many trade models of monopolistic competition identify cost efficiency as the main determinant of firm performance in export markets. To date, the analysis of demand factors has received much less attention. We propose a new model where consumer preferences are asymmetric across varieties and heterogeneous across countries. The model generates new predictions and allows for an identification of horizontal differentiation (taste) clearly distinguished from vertical differentiation (quality). Data patterns observed in Belgian firm–product level exports by destination are congruent with the predictions and seem to warrant a richer modelling of consumer demand.     

The impact of decoupled subsidies on productivity in agriculture: a cross‐country analysis using microdata

The decoupling of direct payments from production introduced in the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy is expected to make production decisions more market‐oriented and farmers more productive. However, ex‐post analyses of the productivity of farms have yet to uncover any evidence of a positive impact of the decoupling policy on farm productivity. Using Irish, Danish, and Dutch farm‐level data, we identify whether the decoupling policy has contributed to productivity growth in agriculture and farm product adjustment behavior. We find some evidence that the decoupling policy had significant positive effects on farm productivity and behavioral changes related to farm specialization.     

政府间转移支付、物流专业化与企业出口行为

文章以政府间转移支付、物流专业化影响企业出口行为的理论为基础,采用2000-2013年中国县级财政经济统计数据以及中国工业企业微观数据,运用Heckman两阶段法探究政府间转移支付、物流专业化与企业出口行为的总体关系。研究发现,政府间转移支付显著推动企业出口参与度的提高和出口规模的增长,物流专业化对上述企业出口行为均有显著的积极影响,政府间转移支付在物流专业化与企业出口行为的关系之间呈现显著的负向调节作用。在通过解决变量内生性问题、消除分配政策影响、考虑新冠肺炎疫情等外生冲击影响等一系列稳健性检验后,上述结论依然成立。进一步对政府间转移支付的异质性分析结果显示,一般性转移支付与物流专业化的交互项对企业出口参与度的回归结果变为正向显著。中介效应检验表明,政府间转移支付主要通过协调区域经济发展、基本公共服务均等化、改善财政收支结构促进企业自身出口参与和出口规模扩张;物流专业化主要通过物流规模扩张和物流效率提升促进企业出口二元边际增长。在新冠肺炎疫情长期持续和当前复杂艰难的国际贸易形势下,这一研究对我国继续优化政府间转移支付分配结构、强化物流专业化比较优势,进一步释放企业出口潜力,畅通国内国际经济双循环具有重要参考价值。