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Measuring the effectiveness of cost and price competitiveness in external rebalancing of euro area countries: What do alternative HCIs tell us?

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  • Tkačevs, Olegs
  • Christodoulopoulou, Styliani

Abstract

This study examines the marginal effects of traditional determinants of exports and imports with a focus on the role of price competitiveness in restoring external balances. It is a first attempt to compare marginal effects of various harmonised competitiveness indicators (HCIs) on both exports and imports of both goods and services across individual euro area countries. We find evidence that HCIs based on broader cost and price measures have a larger marginal effect (with some exceptions) on exports of goods. Exports of services are sensitive to HCIs in big euro area countries and Slovakia, where exports of services are also found more sensitive to competitiveness indicators based on broader price measures. Imports of goods and imports of services are quite insensitive to changes in relative prices. Finally, in some cases measures of fit indicate that a large unexplained residual part is present, implying that other non-price related factors might play an important role in driving foreign trade. JEL Classification: F14, F31, F41

Suggested Citation

  • Tkačevs, Olegs & Christodoulopoulou, Styliani, 2014. "Measuring the effectiveness of cost and price competitiveness in external rebalancing of euro area countries: What do alternative HCIs tell us?," Working Paper Series 1736, European Central Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20141736
    Note: 2304852
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Auboin, Marc & Borino, Floriana, 2017. "The falling elasticity of global trade to economic activity: Testing the demand channel," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2017-09, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    2. Claire Giordano & Francesco Zollino, 2016. "Shedding Light on Price- and Non-price-competitiveness Determinants of Foreign Trade in the Four Largest Euro-area Countries," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 604-634, August.
    3. Marczak, Martyna & Beissinger, Thomas, 2018. "Competitiveness at the country-sector level: New measures based on global value chains," Hohenheim Discussion Papers in Business, Economics and Social Sciences 12-2018, University of Hohenheim, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences.
    4. Felettigh, Alberto & Giordano, Claire & Oddo, Giacomo & Romano, Valentina, 2016. "New indicators to assess price-competitiveness developments in the four largest euro-area countries and in their main trading partners," Journal of Economic and Social Measurement, IOS Press, issue 3, pages 203-235.
    5. Aaron G Grech & Noel Rapa, "undated". "Trends in Malta’s current account and their underlying causes," CBM Policy Papers PP/03/2016, Central Bank of Malta.
    6. Elena Bobeica & Paulo Soares Esteves & António Rua & Karsten Staehr, 2016. "Exports and domestic demand pressure: a dynamic panel data model for the euro area countries," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 152(1), pages 107-125, February.
    7. Michael Fidora & Claire Giordano & Martin Schmitz, 2021. "Real Exchange Rate Misalignments in the Euro Area," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 71-107, February.
    8. Osbat, Chiara & Zollino, Francesco & Aiello, Giovanni & Bluhm, Benjamin & Buelens, Christian & Cavallini, Flavia & Joseph, Andreas & Leonte, Alexandru & Lommatzsch, Kirsten & Momchilov, Georgi & Giord, 2015. "Compendium on the diagnostic toolkit for competitiveness," Occasional Paper Series 163, European Central Bank.
    9. Ansgar Belke & Jan Wagemester, 2017. "Export Hysteresis, Capacity Constraints, and Uncertainty: A Smooth Transition Analysis for Euro Area Member Countries," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 63(3), pages 270-294.
    10. Tkačevs, Olegs & Christodoulopoulou, Styliani & Bobeica, Elena, 2016. "The role of price and cost competitiveness for intra- and extra-euro area trade of euro area countries," Working Paper Series 1941, European Central Bank.
    11. Esteves, Paulo Soares & Prades, Elvira, 2018. "Does export concentration matter in economic adjustment programs? Evidence from the euro-area," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 225-241.
    12. Beata K. Bierut & Kamila Kuziemska-Pawlak, 2017. "Competitiveness and Export Performance of CEE Countries," Eastern European Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(6), pages 522-542, November.
    13. Ansgar Belke & Anne Oeking & Ralph Setzer, 2015. "Exports and Capacity Constraints: Evidence for Several Euro Area Countries," CESifo Working Paper Series 5455, CESifo.
    14. Silvia Fabiani & Stefano Federico & Alberto Felettigh, 2016. "Adjusting the external adjustment: cyclical factors and the Italian current account," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 346, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    15. Mr. Alvar Kangur, 2018. "Competitiveness and Wage Bargaining Reform in Italy," IMF Working Papers 2018/061, International Monetary Fund.
    16. Giordano, Claire & Lopez-Garcia, Paloma, 2019. "Firm heterogeneity and trade in EU countries: a cross-country analysis," Occasional Paper Series 225, European Central Bank.
    17. Marc Auboin & Floriana Borino, 2018. "The Falling Elasticity of Global Trade to Economic Activity: Testing the Demand Channel," CESifo Working Paper Series 7228, CESifo.
    18. Enno Schröder, 2015. "Eurozone Imbalances: Measuring the Contribution of Expenditure Switching and Expenditure Volumes 1990-2013," Working Papers 1508, New School for Social Research, Department of Economics, revised Sep 2015.
    19. Lommatzsch, Kirsten & Silgoner, Maria A. & Ramskogler, Paul, 2016. "Trade in value added: Do we need new measures of competitiveness?," Discussion Papers 52/2016, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    20. Mariarosaria Comunale & Jeroen Hessel, 2014. "Current account imbalances in the Euro area: Competitiveness or financial cycle?," DNB Working Papers 443, Netherlands Central Bank, Research Department.
    21. repec:ecb:ecbops:2012163 is not listed on IDEAS
    22. Mirdala, Rajmund & Semančíková, Jozefína & Ruščáková, Anna, 2019. "Determinants of Export and Import Functions in the EU Member Countries," MPRA Paper 99535, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    23. Claire Giordano, 2018. "Price and cost competitiveness misalignments of the euro area and of its main economies according to a quarterly BEER model, 1999-2017," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 444, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    euro area; export; imports; price competitiveness; real exchange rate;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • F31 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Exchange
    • F41 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Open Economy Macroeconomics

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