Contract Incompleteness and the Boundaries of the Firm in Times of COVID-19

Abstract

AbstractIn this paper, we study the firm’s boundaries in times of COVID-19. Ownership and location decisions govern sourcing and shape firms’ boundaries. Adopting incomplete contracts theory/international economics perspective, we investigate the determinants of ownership and location decisions and explore COVID-19–induced changes in firms’ boundaries. Drawing on survey data from a sample of Italian firms, our estimates suggest that input specificity drives the ownership decision, whereas the location decision depends on productivity. Few firms re-consider sourcing because of the pandemic, suggesting a great deal of inertia in firm’s boundaries.