Publication Type

Working Paper

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

2-2003

Abstract

In our general equilibrium model, the variety of specialized service links affects international production fragmentation in manufacturing. Decreases in cost of education or fixed cost of service links raise the relative supply of skilled workers, increase service specialization, and decrease the price of aggregate services. Consequently, the market for service- and skill-intensive component manufacturing enlarges, raising relative demand for skilled workers. Empirically, endogenous change in international outsourcing rather than skill-biased technological progress is the main reason for a modest decline in wage gap despite the rapid rise in relative supply of skilled workers in Singapore from 1978 to 2000.

Keywords

Production Fragmentation, Service Links, Wage Inequality, Singapore, Technological Progress

Discipline

Asian Studies | Labor Economics

Research Areas

Applied Microeconomics

Volume

04-2003

First Page

1

Last Page

36

Publisher

SMU Economics and Statistics Working Paper Series, No. 04-2003

City or Country

Singapore

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

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