We present an empirical analysis of product differentiation using a new dynamic panel data set on film programming choice in a major U.S. metropolitan motion-pictures exhibition market. Using these data, we compute two measures of film programming choice which allow us to investigate the...

The proliferation of long-term contractual arrangements between actors and studios in the U.S. motion-pictures industry during the Age of the Studio (1929-48) is analyzed. Asset specificity and transaction-cost minimization explain the optimality of long-term over short-term agreements. In...

We show that much of Africa s recent growth and poverty reduction can be traced to a substantive decline in the share of the labor force engaged in agriculture. This decline has been accompanied by a systematic increase in the productivity of the labor force, as it has moved from low...

Critics of globalization claim that U.S. manufacturing firms are being driven by the prospects of cheaper labor to shift employment abroad. Yet the evidence, beyond anecdotes, is slim. Using firm-level data collected by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), we estimate the impact on U.S....

We use a plant level survey to identify interactions between domestic plants and foreign direct investment (FDI) in Ethiopia's manufacturing sector. Almost one third of Ethiopian plants report being linked to FDI through labor sharing, forward and backward linkages and competition in input and...

We use a plant level survey to identify interactions between domestic plants and foreign direct investment (FDI) in Ethiopia's manufacturing sector. One third of Ethiopian plants are linked to FDI through labor sharing, supply chains and competition. Technology upgrading most commonly occurs as...

Critics of globalization claim that firms are being driven by the prospects of cheaper labor to shift employment abroad. Yet the evidence, beyond anecdotes, is slim. This paper focuses on the labor market decisions of US multinationals at home and abroad for the years 1977 to 1999. Using firm...