Multinational Firms' supply chains and their impacts on trade and investment policies: International political economy approach

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K03707
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Economic policy
• Research Institution: Gakushuin University
• Principal Investigator: Ito Tadashi 学習院大学, 国際社会科学部, 教授 (40550413)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: サプライチェーン / 多国籍企業

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this research project, we analyzed the impacts of the deepening of the supply chains on international trade and the economy, mainly in the following points among others. First, a verification of the validity of a traditional trade theory, the Heckscher-Ohlin model, using value-added trade instead of the customs data. Second, analyses on the smile curve phenomenon (due to the development of supply chains, low-value-added stages of production are off-shored to developing countries whereas high-value-added processes such as product design and marketing continue to be carried out in developed countries). Third, a study on the impacts of multinational firms’ supply chains on host countries’ trade policy to the third countries.

Free Research Field

国際貿易論

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

サプライチェーンが深化した現代においては、伝統的な貿易理論であるヘクシャー=オリーン理論が説明するのは貿易統計に表れる貿易額ではなく、付加価値で計測される貿易額であることを示したこと、またサプライチェーンを考慮すると貿易による厚生向上効果が大きくなることを示したことは、国際経済学における新たな知見を提示したと言えるだろう。また、経済全体におけるスマイルカーブ現象の発生を確認したことは、特に発展途上国の貿易・投資政策に重要な示唆を与える。