The multinational firm and its main vehicle, foreign direct investment, are key forces in economic globalization. Their importance to the world economy can be seen in the fact that since 1990 foreign direct investment has grown more rapidly than the world GDP and world trade. Despite this, the causes and consequences of multinational firm activity are little understood and until recently relatively unexamined in the theoretical literature. This CESifo volume fills this gap, examining the multinational enterprise (MNE) and foreign direct investment (FDI) from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. In the theoretical chapters, leading scholars take a wide range of modern analytical approaches--from new growth and trade theories to new economic geography, industrial organization, and game theory. Taking current theoretical work on MNE and FDI as a starting point and aiming to extend the existing theoretical framework, the contributors consider such topics as investment liberalization and firm location, tax competition, and welfare consequences of FDI and outsourcing. The empirical chapters test several of the key hypotheses of recent theoretical work on MNE and FDI, examining topics that include productivity effects on Italian MNEs, the different effects of outsourcing in Austria and Poland, location decisions of MNEs in the European Union, and other topics. ContributorsOscar Amerighi, Bruce A. Blonigen, Steven Brakman, Davide Castellani, Ronald B. Davies, Alan V. Deardorff, Fabrice Defever, Harry Garretsen, Anders N. Hoffman, Andzelika Lorentowicz, James R. Markusen, Charles van Marrewijk, Dalia Marin, James R. Marukusen, Alireza Naghavi, Helen T. Naughton, Giorgio Barba Navaretti, J. Peter Neary, Gianmarco Ottaviano, Alexander Raubold, Glen R. WaddellSteven Brakman is Professor of Globalization in the Faculty of Economics at the University of Groningen. Harry Garretsen is Professor of International Economics at the Utrecht School of Economics, Utrecht University.

This paper analyzes the extent of income inequality from a global perspective, its drivers, and what to do about it. The drivers of inequality vary widely amongst countries, with some common drivers being the skill premium associated with technical change and globalization, weakening protection for labor, and lack of financial inclusion in developing countries. We find that increasing the income share of the poor and the middle class actually increases growth while a rising income share of the top 20 percent results in lower growth—that is, when the rich get richer, benefits do not trickle down. This suggests that policies need to be country specific but should focus on raising the income share of the poor, and ensuring there is no hollowing out of the middle class. To tackle inequality, financial inclusion is imperative in emerging and developing countries while in advanced economies, policies should focus on raising human capital and skills and making tax systems more progressive.

The book deals with the key aspects of social and economic inequalities developed during the transition of the formerly planned European economies. Particular emphasis is given to the latest years available in order to consider the effects of the global crisis started in 2008-2009.

This paper analyses the impact of large and persistent emigration from Eastern European countries over the past 25 years on these countries’ growth and income convergence to advanced Europe. While emigration has likely benefited migrants themselves, the receiving countries and the EU as a whole, its impact on sending countries’ economies has been largely negative. The analysis suggests that labor outflows, particularly of skilled workers, lowered productivity growth, pushed up wages, and slowed growth and income convergence. At the same time, while remittance inflows supported financial deepening, consumption and investment in some countries, they also reduced incentives to work and led to exchange rate appreciations, eroding competiveness. The departure of the young also added to the fiscal pressures of already aging populations in Eastern Europe. The paper concludes with policy recommendations for sending countries to mitigate the negative impact of emigration on their economies, and the EU-wide initiatives that could support these efforts.

Welche Auswirkungen hatte der Fall des Eisernen Vorhangs und die ökonomische Integration der mittelosteuropäischen Staaten für den Arbeitsmarkt in den Grenzregionen zwischen den alten und den neuen EU-Mitgliedsstaaten? Michael Moritz geht dieser Frage am Beispiel der bayerisch-tschechischen Grenzregion nach. Moritz untersucht für beide Länder, ob die räumliche Nähe für die Entwicklung der Wirtschafts-, Qualifikations- und Lohnstrukturen in den grenznahen Kreisen eine Rolle spielt und inwieweit sich signifikante Unterschiede zur Entwicklung in den grenzfernen Regionen feststellen lassen. Publikationssprache: Englisch

The Social Effects of FDI on Multinational Companies and Domestic Firms compares and contrasts wages, working conditions and industrial relations processes in multinational and domestic companies. This book is an effort to map the social effects of FDI in a number of EU member states, in relation to the prevailing patterns of internationalization.

What new theories, evidence, explanations, and policies have shaped our studies of income distribution in the 21st century? Editors Tony Atkinson and Francois Bourguignon assemble the expertise of leading authorities in this survey of substantive issues. In two volumes they address subjects that were not covered in Volume 1 (2000), such as education, health and experimental economics; and subjects that were covered but where there have been substantial new developments, such as the historical study of income inequality and globalization. Some chapters discuss future growth areas, such as inheritance, the links between inequality and macro-economics and finance, and the distributional implications of climate change. They also update empirical advances and major changes in the policy environment. - The volumes define and organize key areas of income distribution studies - Contributors focus on identifying newly developing questions and opportunities for future research - The authoritative articles emphasize the ways that income mobility and inequality studies have recently gained greater political significance

This book examines to which extent economic globalisation, skill-biased technological progress and institutional and regulatory reforms have had an impact on the distribution of earnings.

"This text integrates the microeconomics of trade with concepts from open economy macroeconomics. The emphasis is on the powerful forces of international competition and the limitations of government policy. Economics began with a political debate over tariffs and the politics continue. Domestic industries lobby for protection against foreign competitors and for export subsidies. Government policy makers favor their pet industries in return for lobby money and votes. Meanwhile, other industries lobby for free trade. Governments worldwide tentatively negotiate free trade agreements while international financial markets determine the effectiveness of their fiscal and monetary policies. Wages, capital returns, and national income rise and fall with international commerce. The text covers these issues of international trade and finance. The trade theory is based on partial equilibrium market analysis, constant cost and neoclassical general equilibrium, the factor proportions model, and various theories of industrial organization."--Book cover.