Specialized technology suppliers, international spillovers and investment: evidence from the chemical industry

In this paper we study how the development of specialized upstream technology suppliers in leading countries improves technology access and lowers investment costs for downstream firms in follower countries. We test this idea using a novel database covering all investments in chemical plants in less developed countries (LDCs) during the 1980s. We find that investments in chemical plants in the LDCs are greater, the greater is the number of...