Small and medium-sized transnational corporations: Trends and patterns of foreign direct investment

This paper provides an analysis of small and medium-sized transnational corporations (TNCs). Statistical evidence is provided on trends and patterns of foreign direct investment (FDI) by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). There are virtually no countries for which consistent and systematic FDI data are available by firm size, but data complied by or made available to the author for the UNCTAD Programme on Transnational Corporations allow an analysis of broad characteristics, trends and patterns.FDI by SMEs is more concentrated in developed countries than that by large TNCs. However, small and medium-sized TNCs, especially those from Japan, are increasingly investing in developing countries. Although absolute size of FDI is still small, SMEs account for a large share in terms of the number of investment cases and the number of parent firms. South and East Asia became the primary host region of small and medium-sized TNCs during the 1980s and early 1990s. The industrial distribution of FDI by SMEs in developing countries is quite wide, but concentrated in electrical goods, chemicals, textiles and some services industries. SMEs also engage in non-equity investments.Transnational Corporations Affairs Officer United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Geneva, SwitzerlandThe author is grateful for advice and comments by Hafiz Mirza     

BRAND AGRICULTURE AND ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY: WHEN ARE HIGHLY DIFFERENTIATED PRODUCTS SUSTAINABLE IN THE REMOTE PERIPHERY?

This paper presents a general equilibrium model of new economic geography, incorporating brand agriculture that produces differentiated agricultural products. Focusing on the core‐periphery space, we show that highly differentiated brand agriculture can be sustained in the periphery even when access to the core market is not particularly good. This result supports the promotion of innovative products in rural areas in order to avoid direct price competition in generic commodities markets under unfavorable conditions.     

Pareto-improving social optimal pricing schemes based on bottleneck permits for managing congestion at a merging section

Akamatsu, Sato, and Nguyen (2006 Akamatsu, T., Sato, S., &; Nguyen, X. L. (2006). Tradable time-of-day bottleneck permits for morning commuters (in Japanese). JSCE Journal of Infrastructure Planning 62(4), 605–620.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) proposed a first-best pricing scheme based on the concept of bottleneck permits. The scheme allows permit holders to pass a bottleneck at specified times and is shown to be able to minimize social cost. However, the scheme is not always Pareto-improving in that it may harm some drivers. The objective of this study is to design Pareto-improving pricing scheme with bottleneck permits for a V-shaped two-to-one merge bottleneck. First, the paper formulates the morning commute model in the network and describes the arrival time choice equilibrium in the network with merging bottleneck. Secondly, we show that the first-best pricing scheme with bottleneck permits for this V-shaped network does not always achieve a Pareto improvement, with the cost of one group of drivers is increased by the permit pricing, a phenomena akin to the bottleneck paradox of Arnott, de Palma, and Lindsey (1993 Arnott, R., de Palma, A., &; Lindsey, R. (1993). Properties of dynamic traffic equilibrium involving bottlenecks, including a paradox and metering. Transportation Science 27(2), 148–160.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). We propose three implementations of bottleneck permits for Pareto-improving: (1) merging priority rule is included in the bottleneck permits scheme by creating different market for each origin; (2) the permit revenues are refunded as monetary compensation to drivers whose cost is increased; and (3) the permit revenues are used to expand bottleneck capacity. For each implementation, we derive their equilibrium solutions and demonstrate that the Pareto improvement is achieved and social cost is decreased by using the permit revenues for expanding the bottleneck capacity.     

International Competition and Distributive Class Conflict in an Open Economy Kaleckian Model

This paper constructs an open economy Kaleckian model in which international competition affects the bargaining process between firms and workers, and investigates the effects of such bargaining on the macroeconomy. We show that the effects of a change in the bargaining power on aggregate demand depends not only on the demand regimes but also on which agents bears more of the burden arising from the international price competition. Moreover, if the real exchange rate has a small impact on the trade balance, the economy is stable, whereas if it has a larger impact on the trade balance, the economy is unstable.     

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RETENTION RATIO IN A KALECKIAN MODEL WITH DEBT ACCUMULATION

By using a Kaleckian model with debt accumulation, Hein (2007; Metroeconomica, 56 (2), pp. 310–39) found that the long‐run equilibrium value of the debt–capital ratio is positive and stable only if interest rates are extremely high and if the short‐run equilibrium exhibits the ‘debt‐led’ growth regime. However, this conclusion crucially depends on the assumption that the retention ratio of firms is equal to unity. By relaxing this assumption, we show that there exists a positive and stable long‐run equilibrium even under the ‘debt‐burdened’ regime without any constraint on the nominal interest rate.     

Export oriented growth of output and employment in Taiwan and Korea, 1973/74—1983/84

Zusammenfassung Exportorientiertes Wachstum von Produktion und Besch?ftigung in Taiwan und Korea von 1973/74 bis 1983/84. — Die exportorientierte Industrialisierung in Taiwan und Korea begann in den sechziger Jahren. Jedoch gab es in den siebziger Jahren externe Schocks, welche für diese beiden dynamischen Volkswirtschaften eine Bedrohung darstellten. Die beiden untersuchten L?nder reagierten auf die externen Schocks in unterschiedlicher Weise. Korea begann in der zweiten H?lfte der siebziger Jahre, die Schwerindustrie auszubauen, w?hrend Taiwan die internationale Wettbewerbsf?higkeit seiner kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen zu verst?rken suchte. Die Autoren dieses Aufsatzes benutzen ein Input/Output-Modell, um die unterschiedlichen Wirkungen auf Wachstum und Besch?ftigung zu zeigen, die sich aus diesen verschiedenen Reaktionen in der Zeit von 1974 bis 1984 ergaben. Im ganzen scheint das Vorgehen Taiwans erfolgreicher gewesen zu sein, um Exporte, Besch?ftigung und Strukturwandel zu f?rdern.

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Résumé L’accroissement de l’output orienté vers l’exportation et l’emploi au Taiwan et en Corée, 1973/74—1983/84. — L’industrialisation qui est orientée vers l’exportation au Taiwan et en Corée a commencé dans les années 1960. Cependant, dans les années 1970 des chocs extérieurs ont menacé ces deux économies dynamiques. Ces deux pays ont réagit sur ces chocs d’une manière différente. La Corée a initié une stratégie de l’industrialisation concentrée sur l’industrie lourde dans la deuxième moitié des années 1970. Le Taiwan a mis l’accent sur l’augmentation de la compétitivité internationale de ses entreprises de taille petite et moyenne. Dans l’étude présente on utilise un modèle ?input-output? pour montrer les effets des actions différentes sur l’accroissement de la production et de l’emploi pendant les années 1974 à 1984. En général, il semble que la stratégie économique de Taiwan a eu plus de succès à stimuler l’exportation, l’emploi et le changement structurel.

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Resumen El crecimiento del producto y del empleo orientado hacia las exportaciones en Taiwan y Corea 1973/74—1983/84. — La industrialización orientada hacia las exportaciones comenzó en Taiwán y Corea en la década de los sesenta. En los afios setenta, empero, shocks externos significaron una amenaza para estas economías dinámicas. Las respuestas de ambos divergieron durante la década de shocks externos. Corea inició una estrategia de industrialización pesada en la segunda mitad de los a?os setenta. Taiwán enfatizó la creciente competitividad de sus empresas de escala peque?a y mediana. En este trabajo se utiliza un modelo insumo-producto para mostrar las diferencias en los efectos de crecimiento y empleo de estas diferentes respuestas durante el período 1974–1984. En general, el enfoque de Taiwan parece haber sido el mejor en promover las exportaciones, el empleo y el cambio estructural.

     

On the evolution of the spatial economy with multi-unit · multi-plant firms: the impact of IT development

This paper examines how the decline of communication costs between management and production facilities within firms and the decrease in trade costs of manufactured goods affect the spatial organization of a two-region economy with multi-unit·multi-plant firms. The development of information technology decreases the costs of communication and trade costs. Thus, the fragmentation of firms is promoted. Our result indicates that, with decreasing communication costs, firms producing low trade-cost goods (such as electronics products) tend to concentrate their manufacturing plants in low wage countries. In contrast, firms producing high trade-cost products (such as automobiles) tend to have multiple plants serving to segmented markets, even in the absence of wage differentials.Received: November 2004, Accepted: March 2005, JEL Classification: F12, L13, R13Masahisa Fujita: Correspondence toWe are very grateful to J. Vernon Henderson, J. Pedro Pontes and Koumei Sasaki for helpful comments.     

Communication technologies and spatial organization of multi-unit firms in metropolitan areas

Departing from traditional location theory (which treats a firm as a single-unit entity), in this paper we consider that each firm consists of multiple units that exchange information or services. Specifically, we develop a general equilibrium model of the city,in which each firm consists of a front-unit (e.g. business office) and back-unit (e.g. plant or back-office). Each front-unit interacts with all other front-units for the purpose of business communications, while each back-unit exchanges information or management services only with the front-unit of the same firm. Each firm must choose the location of its front-unit and back-unit optimally. The equilibrium spatial configuration of the city is determined as an outcome of interactions among all firms and households through competitive land and labor markets. We show that, depending on parameters, a variety of interesting patterns of metropolitan spatial organization emerges.     

THE DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION IN EAST ASIA: FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF SPATIAL ECONOMICS

This paper examines the recent evolution of regional integration in East Asia, and discusses the prospects and tasks of further integration. After an overview of the globalization and regional integration trend in EU, NAFTA and East Asia during the past half-century, we introduce the basic framework of spatial economics, often called the new economic geography. In terms of globalization and regional integration, it is important to examine the general effects of decreasing transport costs (broadly defined) on spatial distribution of economic activities. Given this theoretical framework, we examine the changing economic interdependency within East Asia, as well as that between East Asia and the rest of the world over the last three decades. Next, we focus on regional diversity and disparity in East Asia. Finally, we compare the regional integration in EU with that of East Asia, and examine the tasks and prospects of further promotion of East Asian integration.     

On the Endogeneous Formation of Secondary Employment Centers in a City

A new approach is proposed to explain the formation of secondary employment centers in a monocentric city. Specifically, a large firm considers locating a new plant in a city where none of the existing businesses has a significative share of the labor force, so that its location can be viewed as a secondary employment center. The choice of this location results from the interplay between the process of competition on both the labor and land markets and the technological externalities generated by the proximity of the city center where other firms are located.