We examine two questions, both motivated by an empirical regularity. First, when are incumbent firms' foreign direct investment (FDI) and R&D expenditures positively associated in equilibrium in an international oligopoly? We show that a positive association can be expected to exist only if most...

The taxation of the multinational enterprise (MNE) has been a continuing concern for policy-makers. We argue that the changing nature of the mobile MNE (e.g., its improved ability to fine-slice the value chain and disperse it geographically) makes it increasingly important to rethink current tax...

This paper provides the first in-depth study of the organization of knowledge in multinational firms. The paper develops a theoretical model that studies how firms optimally split knowledge between their headquarters and their production plants if communication costs impede the access of...

This paper empirically analyzes the impact of exchange rate uncertainty, exchange rate movements and expectations on foreign direct investment (FDI). Two competing specifications of exchange rate volatility are examined. The investigation is based on a cross-section time-series data set of U.S....

We develop and analyze an entry model that predicts that the likelihood that foreign firms enter a country increases with the productivity gap between foreign and domestic firms. The intuition is that foreign firms locate where their competitive advantage is highest and thus enter countries...

The rapid growth of international trade in recent decades has been widely documented. It has been accompanied by transformation of the composition of trade and patterns of trade. This is especially the case for quot;intra-productquot; trade and the rise of cross-country production networks. With...

Intra-firm trade is an important component of United States' international trade with the rest of the world. The stylized facts about U.S. intra-firm trade reveal some interesting patterns. Intra-firm trade is increasing with newly developed countries particularly in Asia and Eastern Europe....

We consider exclusive contracts as a survival strategy for a local incumbent manufacturer facing a multinational manufacturer’s entry. Although both manufacturers prefer to trade with an efficient local distributor, trading with inefficient competitive distributors is acceptable only to the...

This paper models a multilateral agreement on investment (MAI) as a coordination device. Multinational enterprises can invest in any number of countries. Without a multilateral investment agreement, expropriation triggers an investment stop by the single MNE. Under a multilateral agreement,...

Using confidential microdata, I document that foreign multinational firms' income shifting out of the United States is positively associated with their real economic activity in the US. When these firms face greater restrictions on income shifting – resulting from the staggered implementation...