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Trade, Reallocations and Productivity: A Bridge between Theory and Data in Öresund

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  • Åkerman, Anders

    (Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN))

Abstract

The paper estimates the causal effect of trade liberalisation on aggregate productivity through mechanisms related to firm selection. The construction of a bridge in 2000 across the Öresund Strait linking Copenhagen with Malmö, Sweden's third largest city, provided a natural experiment with which to analyse this effect. A difference-in-difference methodology is applied using both geographic and sectoral variation in how much the bridge affected export patterns and productivity. Firms based in Malmö raise exports to Denmark substantially, mostly by firms selecting into exporting, and the aggregate productivity in Malmö increases. I find that almost all of Malmö's productivity growth is due to the reallocation of production from less productive to more productive firms. When decomposing the productivity gain, I find that these efficiency gains come mostly from the exit of the least productive firms but also from firms with an above-average productivity that start to export and therefore expand their output share. The two largest sectors in Malmö are wholesale trade and manufacturing. Exports by the wholesale sector in Malmö are strongly affected by the bridge whereas those of manufacturing are not. The productivity effects are also the strongest in the wholesale sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Åkerman, Anders, 2009. "Trade, Reallocations and Productivity: A Bridge between Theory and Data in Öresund," Working Paper Series 795, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:0795
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    Cited by:

    1. Hayakawa, Kazunobu & Keola, Souknilanh & Sudsawasd, Sasatra & Yamanouchi, Kenta, 2022. "Impacts of an international bridge on households: Evidence from Thailand," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    2. Volpe Martincus, Christian & Carballo, Jerónimo & Cusolito, Ana, 2017. "Roads, exports and employment: Evidence from a developing country," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 21-39.
    3. Sandra Achten & Lars Beyer & Antje-Mareike Dietrich & Dennis Ebeling & Christian Lessmann & Arne Steinkraus, 2019. "Large scale infrastructure investment and economic performance – a case study of Oresund," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(1), pages 21-26, January.
    4. Volpe Martincus, Christian & Carballo, Jerónimo & Garcia, Pablo M. & Graziano, Alejandro, 2014. "How do transport costs affect firms’ exports? Evidence from a vanishing bridge," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 123(2), pages 149-153.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Firm Heterogeneity; International Trade; Aggregate Productivity; Natural Experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
    • F40 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - General
    • L10 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - General
    • R30 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - General

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