Little is known about the relationship between firm boundaries and the allocation of decision rights within firms. We develop a model in which final good producers choose which suppliers to integrate and whether to delegate decisions to integrated suppliers, when they are ex-ante uncertain about their ability. In this setting, integration has an option value: ownership rights give producers authority to delegate or centralize production decisions, depending on the realized ability of suppliers. To assess the evidence, we construct measures of vertical integration and delegation for thousands of firms in many countries and industries. Consistent with the model, we find that (i) integration and delegation covary positively; (ii) firms delegate more decisions to integrated suppliers of more valuable inputs; and suppliers are more likely to be integrated if (iii) they produce more valuable inputs and (iv) operate in industries with greater productivity dispersion.
Alfaro, Laura, Nick Bloom, Paola Conconi, Harald Fadinger, Patrick Legros, Andrew F. Newman, Raffaella Sadun, and John Van Reenen. "Come Together: Firm Boundaries and Delegation." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 18-051, December 2017. (Revised May 2019.)
Alfaro, Laura, Rafael M. Di Tella, and Ingrid Vogel. "To Float or Not to Float? In Pursuit of the Chinese Dream." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 706-060, May 2006. (Revised November 2019.)
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In the decades following 2005, China faced significant financial challenges. Inflation spiraled upwards and China’s economy stagnated in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. The country’s leaders took an interventionist approach to weather the storm, controlling capital and exchange rates. These actions raised criticism from other nations, and in 2017 the U.S. initiated the U.S.-China Trade Wars, which enforced tariffs and requirements for increased transparency. As implications of the trade wars remained uncertain, many wondered whether the central bank would introduce further discreet steps to change the yuan. Would China’s currency appreciate as substantially against the U.S. dollar as predicted by economists? And when would further change occur? The stakes were high; a freer yuan float would impact groups within and outside of China very differently. Would China’s currency then be allowed to depreciate or appreciate if fundamentals required it?
Alfaro, Laura, and Sarah Jeong. "Floating the Exchange Rate: In Pursuit of the Chinese Dream." Harvard Business School Case 320-039, November 2019.
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For decades, Chile was heralded as South America’s pillar of stable economic growth. Chile was the world’s largest producer of copper and enjoyed a long period of over 30 years of world demand for its resources. In 2013, the commodity boom ended and was replaced by a slow period of economic activity. By 2019, a culmination of factors had contributed to widespread protests. Major streets in Santiago were shut down due to demonstrations by workers across 20 ports. Mining unions urged the government to lift the state of emergency and end curfews. It was unclear how these stoppages would affect copper production and prices in a country that produced a third of the world’s supply.