Economies of scope, Agglomeration and location of the multinational firm

• Autor(a) principal: Pontes, José Pedro
• Data de Publicação: 2004
• Outros Autores: Parr, John B.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/2704
• topic: Economies of Scope; Economies of Agglomeration; Multiplant Firms; Multinational Firms

A classification of the locational patterns of firms (with economies of scope present) is outlined, in order to cast light on the location of the multiplant, multinational firm. This is driven by three forces: economies of scope that follow from the co-location of different activities; transportation costs of the final good; and factor mobility costs. It is concluded that the single-plant firm prevails when spatial economies of scope are strong in relation to either transportation or mobility costs. The vertical (horizontal) multiplant firm emerges when mobility costs of factors (transportation costs on the final good) are high. These two kinds of spatial costs, which are mutually exclusive, favor the formation of multinational firms.