Vertical Integration, Supplier Behavior, and Quality Upgrading among Exporters

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Hansman, Christopher; Hjort, Jonas; Leon-Ciliotta, Gianmarco; Teachout, Matthieu
• 署名单位: Imperial College London; Columbia University; Center for Economic & Policy Research (CEPR); National Bureau of Economic Research; Pompeu Fabra University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF POLITICAL ECONOMY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-3808
• DOI: 10.1086/708818
• 发表日期: 2020
• 页码: 3570-3625
• 关键词: FIRM PERFORMANCE EVIDENCE; organizational form; asset ownership; PRODUCTIVITY; TRADE; prices; CONTRACTS; destinations; BOUNDARIES; MARKET

摘要

We study the relationship between firms' output quality and organizational structure. Using data on the production and transaction chain that makes up Peruvian fish meal manufacturing, we establish three results. First, firms integrate suppliers when the quality premium rises for exogenous reasons. Second, suppliers change their behavior to better maintain input quality when vertically integrated. Third, firms produce a higher share of high-quality output when weather and supplier availability shocks shift them into using integrated suppliers. Overall, our results indicate that quality upgrading is an important motive for integrating suppliers facing a quantity-quality trade-off, as classical theories of the firm predict.