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Contribution Details

Type Journal Article
Scope Discipline-based scholarship
Title Labor market effects of outsourcing under industrial interdependence
Organization Unit
Authors
  • H Egger
  • P Egger
Item Subtype Original Work
Refereed Yes
Status Published in final form
Language
  • English
Journal Title International Review of Economics and Finance
Publisher Elsevier
Geographical Reach international
ISSN 1059-0560
Volume 14
Number 3
Page Range 349 - 363
Date 2005
Abstract Text The consequences of international outsourcing in traditional models of trade are already well understood. However, with regard to empirical research there seem to be still some important shortcomings. Empirical studies on the labor market effects of outsourcing are mainly based on the same techniques that have been used for years. In terms of the adopted econometric specifications, one assumption is typical and – as we will show – critical in this regard. Practically all studies we are aware of assume independence between industries and neglect any spillover and feedback effects across industries. In fact, this is at odds with multi-sector general equilibrium models of trade. It is this paper's focus to relax this restrictive assumption and to suggest the use of different econometric methods. We consider national input–output linkages and cross industrial flows of workers as two important channels of inter-industrial spillovers in labor market effects. We focus on these transmission channels in an Austrian panel data set of 21 two-digit industries in the 1990s and find that industrial interdependencies induce a multiplier effect for changes in industry-specific variables such as international outsourcing. Disregarding spillover effects, therefore, leads to a substantial underestimation of the labor market implications of international outsourcing.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1016/j.iref.2004.12.006
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