R&D‐induced Growth in the OECD?

The study uses aggregate and manufacturing sector data for a group of ten OECD countries for the period 1971 to 1995 to estimate a system of two equations implied by a model of R&D‐induced growth in steady state. These equations relate R&D intensity to productivity growth and the latter to output growth. The author finds evidence of a positive impact of aggregate R&D intensity on the growth rates of productivity and output. The null hypothesis that growth is not induced by R&D is rejected in favor of the Schumpeterian endogenous growth framework without scale effects. The R&D impact for the aggregate economy is distinctly larger than for the manufacturing sector. Finally, an extension of the empirical model shows that openness has a positive impact on productivity growth.     

Non-linearities in international prices

We consider multiple sources of non-linearity in good-level law-of-one-price deviations across the globe using a structural model that accounts for previously omitted variables and allows estimation of good-level convergence rates both within and outside the bands of no trade. Accounting for the role of theoretically implied variables and their non-linear interactions in the convergence process of law-of-one-price deviations, we find that good-level convergence rates are systematically faster compared with convergence estimates based on reduced-form models. Contrary to conventional wisdom, good-level price differentials exhibit mean-reverting behaviour even within the bands of no trade. Moreover, mean-reversion rates are strongly related to economic characteristics such as tradability and a good's non-traded input content.     

Immigration and international prices

This paper considers the relation between immigration and prices in a number of countries across the world over the period from 1990 to 2006. Immigration is shown to have a negative impact on international relative prices. A 10% increase in the share of immigrant workers in total employment decreases the prices of final products by as much as 3%. Our results suggest that the tendency of this factor of production to relocate to relatively expensive high-wage countries exerts downward pressure on prices of tradeables and non-tradeables there relative to other locations. The effect of immigration on prices is more evident for goods consumed by immigrants as compared to goods produced by immigrants.     

Rising East,Emerging West

【正】We expect a better 2014,with world economicgrowth picking up andinflation staying benign.We expect global growth to increase to3.5%in 2014 from 2.7%in 2013,h...     

Labour market oligopsonistic competition: The effect of worker immobility on wages

We suggest that firms in a local labour market may be able to exploit worker mobility costs and offer immobile workers wages that are lower than their marginal product. If so, the ability of employers to exploit worker immobility in setting wages would decline in the competitiveness of the local labour market. We test this intuition using a measure of individual mobility costs and measures of local labour market competition. Our findings suggest that worker immobility causes substantial wage variation across workers in small, weakly competitive markets, and in occupations where wages are individually bargained.     

Strategy fit and performance consequences of international marketing standardization

This study addresses a long‐standing debate in the literature regarding the appropriateness and performance consequences of marketing strategy standardization vs. adaptation. Much of the relevant literature represents the headquarters' viewpoint and broadly assesses antecedents of standardization or adaptation across widely varying markets. Using strategic fit as the theoretical platform for analysis, the study investigates international marketing strategy for a specific product or line within subsidiaries of U.S., Japanese, and German multinational corporations (MNCs) operating in the U.K. The results indicate that degree of strategy standardization is significantly related to similarity between markets with respect to regulatory environments, technological intensity and velocity, customs and traditions, customer characteristics, a product's stage in its life cycle, and competitive intensity. On the critical question of performance consequences, the findings suggest that superior performance results from strategy standardization only to the extent that there is fit or coalignment between the MNC's environmental context and its international marketing strategy choice. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Are self-employment training programs effective? Evidence from Project GATE

We examine the efficacy of providing self-employment training to unemployed and other individuals interested in self-employment using data from Project GATE. This experimental design program offered self-employment training services to a random sample of individuals who expressed a strong interest in self-employment. We find that Project GATE was effective in helping unemployed participants to start their own business, leading to significant impacts in self-employment and overall employment soon after program entry. The program also helped unemployed participants remain self-employed and avoid unemployment even five years after program entry. However, the program was not effective in improving the labor market outcomes of participants who were not unemployed.     

The competitiveness of the Portuguese wine sector

The world wine market is currently characterized by two principal wine suppliers: the European and the New World. Countries such as France, Italy, Spain and Portugal have witnessed a tremendous growth in the New World wine-makers (Australia, Chile, South Africa, etc.). Portugal is one of the Old World countries that presents several natural and technical constraints, which might currently be resulting in modest performance in terms of its position in the global wine market, competitiveness and dynamics required to overcome difficulties. The main objective of this study is to analyse the Portuguese performance for competing in external markets and its evolution from 1996 to 2003. This study is based on indices such as the trade intensity index, revealed comparative advantage, auto-sufficiency and market share relation ratios.     

International Technology Diffusion and the Growth of TFP in the Manufacturing Sector of Developing Economies

This paper evaluates various channels through which foreign technology diffuses to the manufacturing sector of developing economies. These economies undertake virtually no own R&D, so they rely on foreign technology to a much larger extent than developed economies. We investigate the direct effect of foreign R&D, as well as technology embodied in imports of intermediate and capital goods and foreign direct investment, on the growth of total factor productivity and value added in the manufacturing sector of 32 economies during 1965–92. We find that foreign R&D typically has the biggest positive impact on domestic productivity and value‐added growth. Imports of capital goods and foreign direct investment also play a similar role, but their effect is of smaller magnitude and is not always significant.