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Firms in International Trade

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Author Info
Andrew B. Bernard
J. Bradford Jensen
Stephen J. Redding
Peter K. Schott

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Abstract

Despite the fact that importing and exporting are extremely rare firm activities, economists generally devote little attention to the role of firms when discussing international trade. This paper summarizes key differences between trading and non-trading firms, demonstrates how these differences present a challenge to standard trade models and shows how recent "heterogeneous-firm" models of international trade address these challenges. We then make use of transaction-level U.S. trade data to introduce a number of new stylized facts about firms and trade. These facts reveal that the extensive margins of trade -- that is, the number of products firms trade as well as the number of countries with which they trade -- are central to understanding the well-known role of distance in dampening aggregate trade flows.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 13054.

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Date of creation: Apr 2007
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:13054

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
F1 - International Economics - - Trade
F2 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business
L1 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance
L2 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior
L6 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing

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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.:
  1. Elhanan Helpman, 2006. "Trade, FDI, and the Organization of Firms," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 44(3), pages 589-630, September.
    Other versions:
  2. Roberto Alvarez & Ricardo López, 2005. "Exporting and performance: evidence from Chilean plants," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 38(4), pages 1384-1400, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Krugman, Paul, 1980. "Scale Economies, Product Differentiation, and the Pattern of Trade," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 70(5), pages 950-59, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Bernard, Andrew & Redding, Stephen J & Schott, Peter, 2006. "Multi-Product Firms and Product Switching," CEPR Discussion Papers 5708, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Van Biesebroeck, Johannes, 2005. "Exporting raises productivity in sub-Saharan African manufacturing firms," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 373-391, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Caves, Douglas W & Christensen, Laurits R & Diewert, W Erwin, 1982. "The Economic Theory of Index Numbers and the Measurement of Input, Output, and Productivity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(6), pages 1393-1414, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Andrew B. Bernard & Stephen J. Redding & Peter K. Schott, 2006. "Multi-Product Firms and Trade Liberalization," NBER Working Papers 12782, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  8. Andrew B Bernard & J. Bradford Jensen, 2007. "Firm Structure, Multinationals, and Manufacturing Plant Deaths," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 89(2), pages 193-204, 02. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  9. David Hummels and Alexandre Skiba, 2004. "Shipping the Good Apples Out? An Empirical Confirmation of the Alchian-Allen Conjecture," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 112(6), pages 1384-1402, December.
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  10. Volker Nocke & Stephen Yeaple, 2006. "Globalization and Endogenous Firm Scope," NBER Working Papers 12322, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. Roberts, Mark J & Tybout, James R, 1997. "The Decision to Export in Colombia: An Empirical Model of Entry with Sunk Costs," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(4), pages 545-64, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Hallak, Juan Carlos, 2006. "Product quality and the direction of trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 238-265, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Andrew B. Bernard & Stephen J. Redding & Peter K. Schott, 2007. "Comparative Advantage and Heterogeneous Firms," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 74(1), pages 31-66, 01. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  14. Elhanan Helpman, 1999. "The Structure of Foreign Trade," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 13(2), pages 121-144, Spring. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  15. Elhanan Helpman & Marc Melitz & Yona Rubinstein, 2007. "Estimating Trade Flows: Trading Partners and Trading Volumes," NBER Working Papers 12927, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Peter K. Schott, 2004. "Across-product Versus Within-product Specialization in International Trade," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 119(2), pages 646-677, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. Choi, E Kwan & Harrigan, James, 2004. "Handbook of International Trade," Staff General Research Papers 11375, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
  18. Trefler, Daniel, 1995. "The Case of the Missing Trade and Other Mysteries," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 85(5), pages 1029-46, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Carsten Eckel & J. Peter Neary, 2006. "Multi-Product Firms and Flexible Manufacturing in the Global Economy," Economics Series Working Papers 292, University of Oxford, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  20. Daniel Trefler, 2004. "The Long and Short of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(4), pages 870-895, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  21. repec:rus:hseeco:121669 is not listed on IDEAS
  22. Sofronis Clerides & Saul Lach & James Tybout, 1996. "Is "Learning-by-Exporting" Important? Micro-Dynamic Evidence from Colombia, Mexico and Morocco," NBER Working Papers 5715, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  23. Marc J. Melitz & Gianmarco I.P. Ottaviano, 2005. "Market Size, Trade, and Productivity," NBER Working Papers 11393, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  24. Jonathan Eaton & Samuel Kortum, 2002. "Technology, Geography, and Trade," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 70(5), pages 1741-1779, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  25. Marc J. Melitz, 2003. "The Impact of Trade on Intra-Industry Reallocations and Aggregate Industry Productivity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 71(6), pages 1695-1725, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  26. Bernard, Andrew B. & Jensen, J. Bradford & Schott, Peter K., 2006. "Survival of the best fit: Exposure to low-wage countries and the (uneven) growth of U.S. manufacturing plants," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 219-237, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  27. Sanghamitra Das & Mark J. Roberts & James R. Tybout, 2001. "Market Entry Costs, Producer Heterogeneity, and Export Dynamics," NBER Working Papers 8629, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  28. Pavcnik, Nina, 2002. "Trade Liberalization, Exit, and Productivity Improvement: Evidence from Chilean Plants," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 69(1), pages 245-76, January.
  29. repec:rus:hseeco:122439 is not listed on IDEAS
  30. Russell Hillberry & David Hummels, 2005. "Trade Responses to Geographic Frictions: A Decomposition Using Micro-Data," NBER Working Papers 11339, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  31. David Hummels & Peter J. Klenow, 2005. "The Variety and Quality of a Nation's Exports," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(3), pages 704-723, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, 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.)

  1. Richard E. Baldwin & Frédéric Robert-Nicoud, 2007. "Protection for Sale Made Easy," CEP Discussion Papers dp0800, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Davide Castellani & Francesco Serti & Chiara Tomasi, 2008. "Firms in International Trade: Importers and Exporters Heterogeneity in the Italian Manufacturing Industry," LEM Papers Series 2008/04, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy. [Downloadable!]
  3. Lawless, Martina & Whelan, Karl, 2007. "A Note on Trade Costs and Distance," MPRA Paper 5804, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Francesco Serti & Chiara Tomasi, 2008. "Firm Heterogeneity: do destinations of exports and origins of imports matter?," LEM Papers Series 2008/14, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy. [Downloadable!]
  5. Shepherd, Ben & Dennis, Allen, 2007. "Trade costs, barriers to entry, and export diversification in developing countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4368, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  6. Facundo Albornoz & Matthew A Cole & Robert J R Elliott & Marco G Ercolani, 2008. "In Search of Environmental Spillovers," Discussion Papers 08-03, Department of Economics, University of Birmingham. [Downloadable!]
  7. Joachim Wagner, 2008. "Exporte und Firmenerfolg: Welche Firmen profitieren wie vom internationalen Handel?," Working Paper Series in Economics 81, University of Lüneburg, Institute of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  8. Nicholas Oulton, 2007. "Jeremy Greenwood and Per Krusell, "Growth Accounting with Investment-Specific Technological Progress: A Discussion of Two Approaches" A Rejoinder," CEP Discussion Papers dp0802, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE. [Downloadable!]
  9. Rubén Segura-Cayuela & Josep M. Vilarrubia, 2008. "Uncertainty and entry into export markets," Banco de España Working Papers 0811, Banco de España. [Downloadable!]
  10. Marin, Dalia & Verdier, Thierry, 2007. "Competing in Organizations: Firm Heterogeneity and International Trade," Discussion Papers in Economics 1933, University of Munich, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  11. Eran Yashiv, 2007. "The Beveridge Curve," CEP Discussion Papers dp0807, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE. [Downloadable!]
  12. Lu, Jiangyong & Xu, Bin & Liu, Xiaohui, 2007. "The Effects of Corporate Governance and Institutional Environments on Export Behaviour: Evidence from Chinese Listed Firms," MPRA Paper 6600, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  13. F. Albornoz, M. Kugler, 2008. "Exporting Spillovers: Firm-Level Evidence from Argentina," Working Papers eg0057, Wilfrid Laurier University, Department of Economics, revised 2008. [Downloadable!]
  14. Nicholas Oulton, 2007. "Chain Indices of the Cost of Living and the Path-Dependence Problem: An Empirical Solution," CEP Discussion Papers dp0797, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE. [Downloadable!]
  15. Mary Amiti & Donald R. Davis, 2008. "Trade, Firms, and Wages: Theory and Evidence," NBER Working Papers 14106, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  16. Stephen Yeaple, 2008. "Firm Heterogeneity and the Structure of U.S. Multinational Activity: An Empirical Analysis," NBER Working Papers 14072, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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