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Nonlinear Pricing in the Transport Industry and the Gains from Trade

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Listed:
  • Zheng, Han
  • Fujii, Daisuke

Abstract

Recent empirical research documented that there exists a nonlinear pricing phenomenon in the shipping industry. This paper strives to show how this empirical regularity would alter conventional results in trade literature. This paper also shows that when nonlinear pricing in the shipping industry is considered, while the average productivity is higher conducive to the higher welfare level, the gains from trade are generally lower than the situation without. In addition, the model built in this paper offers micro foundations for the additive trade cost and features an endogenous response of shipping charges to the iceberg trade cost, an empirical finding emphasized in Hummels et al. (2009). In a much broader sense, this paper argues that the heterogeneous firm model offers a lens through which traditional results on some interesting objects, for example, gains from trade, could be altered.

Suggested Citation

  • Zheng, Han & Fujii, Daisuke, 2021. "Nonlinear Pricing in the Transport Industry and the Gains from Trade," Discussion paper series HIAS-E-112, Hitotsubashi Institute for Advanced Study, Hitotsubashi University.
    • Handle: RePEc:hit:hiasdp:hias-e-112
    Note: September 18, 2021
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    File URL: https://hermes-ir.lib.hit-u.ac.jp/hermes/ir/re/72445/070_hiasDP-E-112.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Nonlinear pricing; Shipping industry; Heterogeneous firms; The gains from trade;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance
    • L91 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Transportation: General
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise

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