Off-shoring of business services and de-industrialization: threat or opportunity - and for whom?

Robert-Nicoud, Frédéric (2006) Off-shoring of business services and de-industrialization: threat or opportunity - and for whom? CEPDP (734). London School of Economics and Political Science. Centre for Economic Performance, London, UK. ISBN 0753020200

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Abstract

This paper takes a new look at the issue of overseas sourcing of services. In framework in which comparative advantage is endogenous to agglomeration economies and factor mobility, the fragmentation of production made possible by the new communication technologies and low transportation costs allow global firms (multinational corporations or individual firms active in global networks) to simultaneously reap the benefit of agglomeration economies in OECD countries and of low wages prevailing in countries with an ever better educated labour force like India. Thus, the reduction of employment in some routine tasks in rich countries in a general equilibrium helps sustain and reinforces employment in the core competencies in such countries. That is, the loss of some jobs permits to retain the ‘core competencies’ in the ‘core countries’. The welfare implications of this analysis are shown to be not as straightforward as in a neoclassical world.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	http://cep.lse.ac.uk
Additional Information:	© 2006 Frederic Robert-Nicoud
Divisions:	Centre for Economic Performance Geography & Environment
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
JEL classification:	F - International Economics > F0 - General > F02 - International Economic Order L - Industrial Organization > L2 - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior > L22 - Firm Organization and Market Structure: Markets vs. Hierarchies; Vertical Integration; Conglomerates; Subsidiaries R - Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics > R11 - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, and Changes F - International Economics > F1 - Trade > F12 - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies
Date Deposited:	23 Jul 2008 09:41
Last Modified:	13 Sep 2024 19:59
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/19847

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