Firm Heterogeneity and the Structure of U.S. Multinational Activity: An Empirical Analysis / Stephen Yeaple.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Yeaple, Stephen.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w14072.

NBER working paper series no. w14072

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

Firm Heterogeneity and the Structure of U.S. Multinational Activity

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2008.

Summary:

We use firm-level data for U.S. multinational enterprises (MNE) and the model of firm heterogeneity first presented in Helpman, Melitz, and Yeaple (2004) to make four empirical contributions. First, we show that the most productive U.S. firms invest in a larger number of foreign countries and sell more in each country in which they operate. Second, we assess the importance of firm heterogeneity in the structure of MNE activity. Third, we use the model to identify the mechanisms through which country characteristics affect the structure of MNE activity. Finally, we provide a systematic assessment of the model's shortcomings in order to inform the development of new theory.

Notes:

Print version record

June 2008.