Imported inputs and skill upgrading

Rosario Crino ()

Labour Economics, 2012, vol. 19, issue 6, 957-969

Abstract: This paper studies the effect of imported inputs on the relative demand for high-skill labor. To this purpose, it applies propensity score matching techniques to firm-level data for 27 transition countries. The results show that importing inputs induces skill upgrading. Specifically, it explains more than one-quarter of the unconditional difference between importers and non-importers in the employment share of high-skill workers. The paper explores possible mechanisms behind this result. In particular, it reports suggestive evidence that importing leads firms to engage in high-skill intensive activities, such as production of new goods, improvement of product quality and, to a lesser extent, R&D and technology adoption.

Keywords: Imported inputs; Relative demand for high-skill labor; Firm-level data; Transition countries; Propensity score matching (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927537112000796
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
Working Paper: Imported Inputs and Skill Upgrading (2011)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:labeco:v:19:y:2012:i:6:p:957-969

DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2012.08.002

Access Statistics for this article

Labour Economics is currently edited by A. Ichino

More articles in Labour Economics from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().