In this paper we ask why the gravity model of international trade also work well for foreign direct investment (FDI) flows or multinational production (MP). We propose a model of trade and horizontal FDI, where the subsidiary is allowed to source inputs from the headquarters. Under certain parameter values, the model will generate gravity relationships for both exports and MP. Matching the model with data using a unique firm-level dataset of both exports and MP reveals the following results. First, intra-firm trade appears to play a crucial role in shaping the geography of MP. Our conclusions are robust to any geographical distribution of fixed costs. Second, counterfactual experiments show that impeding FDI leads to reduced domestic labor demand by the headquarters, suggesting that outwards FDI may have positive effects on home employment.
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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number
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References listed on IDEAS Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
Andrew B. Bernard & J. Bradford Jensen & Stephen J. Redding & Peter K. Schott, 2007.
"Firms in International Trade,"
NBER Working Papers
13054, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
Other versions:
Andrew B. Bernard & J. Bradford Jensen & Stephen Redding & Peter K. Schott, 2007.
"Firms in International Trade,"
CEP Discussion Papers
dp0795, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
[Downloadable!]
Andrew Bernard & J. Bradford Jensen & Stephen Redding & Peter Schott, 2007.
"Firms in International Trade,"
Working Papers
07-14, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
[Downloadable!]
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NBER Working Papers
10480, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
James E. Anderson & Eric van Wincoop, 2004.
"Trade Costs,"
Journal of Economic Literature,
American Economic Association, vol. 42(3), pages 691-751, September.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
James R. Markusen & Keith E. Maskus, 2001.
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in: Topics in Empirical International Economics: A Festschrift in Honor of Robert E. Lipsey, pages 71-98
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[Downloadable!]