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Innovation and the trade elasticity

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  • Rubini, Loris

Abstract

The reaction of trade volumes to tariffs is far larger than what current models predict. One reason for this is that they abstract from endogenous productivity choices (“innovation”), which amplify this reaction. To show this, I develop a model of international trade with innovation, and calibrate it to Canada and United States before the Free Trade Agreement. Feeding in the tariff drops observed during the agreement, the increase in the trade volumes is within the empirical estimates. Without innovation, the change in trade volumes is too low, and similar to what current models without innovation have found.

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  • Rubini, Loris, 2014. "Innovation and the trade elasticity," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 32-46.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:moneco:v:66:y:2014:i:c:p:32-46
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoneco.2014.04.002
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    Cited by:

    1. Piguillem Facundo & Rubini Loris, 2019. "Barriers to firm growth in open economies," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 19(1), pages 1-36, January.
    2. Da-Rocha, José-María & Restuccia, Diego & Tavares, Marina M., 2023. "Policy distortions and aggregate productivity with endogenous establishment-level productivity," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    3. Diego Restuccia & Richard Rogerson, 2017. "The Causes and Costs of Misallocation," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 31(3), pages 151-174, Summer.
    4. Nezih Guner & Andrii Parkhomenko & Gustavo Ventura, 2017. "Managers and Productivity Differences," Working Papers wp2018_1710, CEMFI.
    5. Rubini Loris, 2020. "International Trade and Productivity after Apartheid," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 20(2), pages 1-32, June.
    6. Loris Rubini, 2015. "Productivity and Trade Liberalizations in Canada," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 35(2), pages 1404-1422.
    7. Nezih Guner & Andrii Parkhomenko & Gustavo Ventura, 2018. "Managers and Productivity Differences," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 29, pages 256-282, July.
    8. Facundo Piguillem & Loris Rubini, 2021. "Do non‐exporters lose from lower trade costs?," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5), pages 1161-1185, November.
    9. Pedro Bento & Diego Restuccia, 2017. "Misallocation, Establishment Size, and Productivity," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 9(3), pages 267-303, July.
    10. Colin Davis & Ken‐ichi Hashimoto, 2023. "Innovation offshoring and reshoring with fully endogenous growth," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 90(1), pages 90-120, July.
    11. Ranasinghe, Ashantha, 2014. "Impact of policy distortions on firm-level innovation, productivity dynamics and TFP," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 114-129.
    12. Colin Davis & Ken-ichi Hashimoto, 2019. "Innovation Offshoring with Fully Endogenous Growth," ISER Discussion Paper 1055, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University.
    13. Kishi, Keiichi & Okada, Keisuke, 2018. "Trade Liberalization, Technology Diffusion, and Productivity," MPRA Paper 88597, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Antonio Navas & Antonella Nocco, 2021. "Trade liberalization, selection, and technology adoption with vertical linkages," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 979-1012, September.
    15. Carlo Altomonte & Simona Gamba & Maria Luisa Mancusi & Andrea Vezzulli, 2016. "R&D investments, financing constraints, exporting and productivity," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(3), pages 283-303, April.
    16. Li, Xiaogang, 2020. "Innovation, market valuations, policy uncertainty and trade: Theory and evidence," ISU General Staff Papers 202001010800009179, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    17. Attah-Boakye, Rexford & Adams, Kweku & Hernandez-Perdomo, Elvis & Yu, Honglan & Johansson, Jeaneth, 2023. "Resource re-orchestration and firm survival in crisis periods: The role of business models of technology MNEs during COVID-19," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    18. Loris Rubini, 2019. "Bribes in the Business Cycles," Review of Economics and Institutions, Università di Perugia, vol. 10(1).
    19. Kishi, Keiichi & Okada, Keisuke, 2021. "The impact of trade liberalization on productivity distribution under the presence of technology diffusion and innovation," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).

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