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  3. American Economic Review
  4. May 2015
  5. (Indirect) Input Linkages

(Indirect) Input Linkages

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Abstract

Relative to backward firms, technologically-advanced firms source inputs from other advanced firms. These sourcing patterns lead to a magnification effect of technology adoption. A firm that adopts higher-technology increases the relative supply and demand for higher-technology inputs. As a result, it positively influences the technology of other firms in its production chain. Using data from a Colombian manufacturing survey, we provide evidence that advanced firms disproportionately value advanced inputs. More novel, we provide suggestive evidence that technological advancements in some firms increase the technology of other firms indirectly linked to them through a common input market.

Citation

Eslava, Marcela, Ana Cecília Fieler, and Daniel Yi Xu. 2015. "(Indirect) Input Linkages." American Economic Review, 105 (5): 662-66. DOI: 10.1257/aer.p20151122

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • L14 Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation; Networks
  • L60 Industry Studies: Manufacturing: General
  • O14 Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology
  • O32 Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
  • O33 Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes