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Does the Use of Imported Intermediates Increase Productivity? Plant-Level Evidence

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Author Info
Hiroyuki Kasahara (University of Western Ontario)
Joel Rodrigue (Queen's University)

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Abstract

This paper examines whether importing intermediate goods improves plant performance. While addressing the issue of simultaneity of a productivity shock and the decision to import intermediates, we estimate the impact of the use of foreign intermediates on plants' productivity using plant-level Chilean manufacturing panel data. We found that switching from being a non- importer to being an importer of foreign intermediates can improve productivity by 2.3 to 22.0 percent. We also investigate the plant dynamic decisions to import, invest, and exit. The results show that having imported last year substantially increases the probability of importing this year, providing the evidence for sunk start-up costs of importing. We also found that importers accumulate more capital and are less likely to exit than non-importers, which indicates that importing intermediates may play an important role in reallocating resources across heterogeneous plants.

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Paper provided by University of Western Ontario, RBC Financial Group Economic Policy Research Institute in its series University of Western Ontario, RBC Financial Group Economic Policy Research Institute Working Papers with number 20057.

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Date of creation: 2005
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Handle: RePEc:uwo:epuwoc:20057

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Postal: RBC Financial Group Economic Policy Research Institute, Social Science Centre, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5C2
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Related research
Keywords: productivity; imported intermediates; plant-level;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior
D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Capital and Total Factor Productivity; Capacity

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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.:
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    Other versions:
  3. Feenstra, Robert C, 1994. "New Product Varieties and the Measurement of International Prices," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(1), pages 157-77, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  20. Benoît Mulkay ; Bronwyn H, Hall ; Jacques Mairesse, 2000. "Firm Level Investment and R&D in France and the United States : A Comparison," Working Papers 2000-49, Centre de Recherche en Economie et Statistique. [Downloadable!]
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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. Hiroyuki Kasahara & Beverly Lapham, 2006. "Import Protection as Export Destruction," University of Western Ontario, RBC Financial Group Economic Policy Research Institute Working Papers 20062, University of Western Ontario, RBC Financial Group Economic Policy Research Institute. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Rita Almeida & Ana Margarida Fernandes, 2007. "Openness and Technological Innovations in Developing Countries: Evidence from Firm-Level Surveys," IZA Discussion Papers 2907, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. László Halpern & Miklós Koren & Adam Szeidl, 2009. "Imported Inputs and Productivity," CeFiG Working Papers 8, Center for Firms in the Global Economy, revised 01 Apr 2009. [Downloadable!]
  4. Lööf, Hans & Andersson, Martin, 2008. "Imports, Productivity and the Origin Markets -the role of knowledge-intensive economies," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 146, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies. [Downloadable!]
  5. Alexander Vogel & Joachim Wagner, 2008. "Higher Productivity in Importing German Manufacturing Firms: Self-selection, Learning from Importing, or Both?," Working Paper Series in Economics 106, University of Lüneburg, Institute of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Mauro Pisu, 2008. "Job creation, job destruction and firms’ international trade involvement," Research series 200803-17, National Bank of Belgium. [Downloadable!]
  7. Augier, Patricia & Cadot, Olivier & Dovis, Marion, 2009. "Imports and TFP at the Firm Level: The Role of Absorptive Capacity," CEPR Discussion Papers 7218, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Tsuyoshi Nakamura & Hiroshi Ohashi, 2005. "Technology Adoption, Learning by Doing, and Productivity: A Study of Steel Refining Furnaces," CIRJE F-Series CIRJE-F-368, CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo. [Downloadable!]
  9. Hiroyuki Kasahara & Beverly Lapham, 2008. "Productivity and the Decision to Import and Export: Theory and Evidence," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
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