Service off-shoring and productivity growth in the European economies

Abstract

We study the relation between service off-shoring and productivity growth in the manufacturing sector of a set of European economies in 1995-2005. We document that those countries resorting more to service off-shoring in 1995 experienced faster productivity growth in ICT/R&D intensive industries over the next decade. Our results show also that the productivity gap between more and less ICT/R&D intensive industries was relatively higher in those countries experimenting higher increases in service off-shoring intensity over the period. In both cases, ICT intensity is more relevant than R&D to explain the mechanism through which service off-shoring affects productivity growth. These findings are consistent with the enhancing productivity effects of the complementary relation between service off-shoring and ICT