The paper examines empirically the proposition that aid to poor countries is detrimental for external competitiveness, giving rise to Dutch disease type effects. At the aggregate level, aid is found to have a positive effect on growth of labour productivity. A sectoral decomposition shows that...

This paper analyses the potential for productivity spillovers from inward foreign direct investment using administrative panel data on firms for Hungary. We hypothesise that the potential for spillovers is related to observable characteristics of the production process of foreign affiliates, and...

We examine the effect of exchange-rate misalignments on competition in the market for large commercial aircraft. This market is a duopoly where players compete in dollar-denominated prices while one of them, Airbus, incurs costs mostly in euros. We construct and calibrate a simulation model to...

This paper uses an oligopoly model with heterogeneous firms to examine how an industry adjusts to rising import competition. The model predicts that in the short run the least efficient firms in the industry become inactive, surviving firms face a fall in output, mark-ups and profits, and the...

We draw on a recent survey of European companies to differentiate between alternative modes of international outsourcing as possible determinants of market, cost and knowledge-related aspects of the competitiveness of firms. We find that internalized modes are often superior to outside options,...

It has been hypothesized that technical progress will erode the competitiveness of the manufactured exports of developing countries. The paper tests two assumptions underlying this hypothesis. First, limited technological competence might prevent developing countries from competing effectively...

This paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the international position of Europe by (i) presenting new evidence on technological specialization and competitiveness and (ii) exploring methodological issues underlying the empirical analysis. The results show that the technological profile of...

Maquiladora assembly emerged to solve a specific problem in a specific region. In the mid 1960s, it was designed to absorb unemployment and to foster industrialization at the US-Mexican border. In the course of its development, it developed considerable dynamics with respect to both regional...

Die Vorstellung, die Wirtschaftspolitik könne auf die Globalisierung durch eine internationale Kooperation und Harmonisierung etwa der Sozialnormen antworten, ist ökonomisch nicht wohl begründet. Es ist eine Illusion, die Bedingungen für den Produktionsfaktor Arbeit weltweit harmonisieren zu...