serval:BIB_86146DA82589
A Theory of Defensive Skill-Biased Innovation and Globalization
10.1257/000282803322157052
000183799900011
M.
Thoenig
author
T.
Verdier
author
article
2003-06
American Economic Review
0002-8282
journal
93
3
709-728
This paper considers a dynamic model of innovations in which firms can endogenously bias the direction of technological change. Both in a North-North and North-South context, we show that, when globalization triggers an increased threat of technological leapfrogging or imitation, firms tend to respond to that threat by biasing the direction of their innovations towards skilled-labor-intensive technologies. We show that this Process of defensive skill-biased innovations generates an increase in wage inequalities in both regions. We then discuss suggestive empirical evidence of the existence of defensive skill-biased technical change.
Competitive advantage
wage inequality
trade
technology
eng
60_published
peer-reviewed
University of Lausanne
mailto:serval_help@unil.ch
http://www.unil.ch/serval
http://serval.unil.ch/disclaimer
https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_86146DA82589