Vigorous Pursuit, Feeble Results: Advocating Feasible Policy Options to Past & Present Anti-Offshoring Legislative Initiatives at State & Federal Levels in the United States

Abstract

The term offshoring is sometimes used interchangeably with outsourcing, but the former is only a variant of the latter. “Outsourcing often refers to the transfer of a support function traditionally performed by an in-house organization to an outside service provider. Outsourcing occurs in both the public and private sectors. While the outsourcing firm or government organization continues to provide appropriate oversight, the vendor is typically granted a degree of flexibility regarding how the work is performed. In successful outsourcing arrangements, the vendor utilizes new technologies and business practices to improve service delivery and/or reduce support costs. Vendors are usually selected as the result of a competition among qualified bidders.” On the other hand, “… offshoring encompasses the transfer of an organizational function to another country, regardless of whether the work is still done within the transferring corporation or by a third party.”