Trade liberalization and strategic interactions of multinational firms: theoretical and empirical analyses.

Summary The last two decades have been marked by a significant increase in the activity of multinational firms. This increase has coi͏̈ncided with a deepening, multilateral and bilateral trade liberalization. In this context, this thesis aims to analyze, in theoretical and empirical terms, the strategies of multinational firms in an environment characterized by a liberalization of international trade in goods. The first part of the paper focuses on the investors' choice of an internal organization and a location adapted to their objectives. The first chapter distinguishes between the different forms of multinationalization of firms. Based on the observation that there is a diversity of strategies among firms, we propose a typology of these strategies that we apply to foreign subsidiaries in France. The second chapter analyzes, by means of a theoretical model, the determinants of intra-firm trade in intermediate goods. Chapter 3 discusses the location choice of multinational firms for a particular entry mode: cross-border mergers and acquisitions. The second part of the thesis examines the link between trade liberalization and firm strategies. The theoretical model developed in chapter 4 highlights the role of these firms in the industrial restructuring induced by trade liberalization. Indeed, mergers and acquisitions can constitute an alternative to the exit of firms. Chapter 5 then analyzes the discriminatory nature of North-South regional agreements. Firms from within and outside the zone can interact to crowd out the constituted market. The insights gained from this theoretical chapter are then applied to the consequences of the formation of the North American Free Trade Agreement on the automotive industry in Mexico (chapter 6).