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Trade and Growth with Heterogeneous Firms

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  • Richard E. Baldwin
  • Frédéric Robert-Nicoud

Abstract

This paper explores the impact of trade on growth when firms are heterogeneous. We find that greater openness produces anti-and pro-growth effects. The Melitz-model selection effects raises the expected cost of introducing a new variety and this tends to slow the rate of new-variety introduction and hence growth. The pro-growth effect stems from the impact that freer trade has on the marginal cost of innovating. The balance of the two effects is ambiguous with the sign depending upon the exact nature of the innovation technology and its connection to international trade in goods and ideas. We consider five special cases (these include the Grossman-Helpman, the Coe- Helpman and Rivera-Batiz-Romer models) two of which suggest that trade harms growth; the others predicting the opposite.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard E. Baldwin & Frédéric Robert-Nicoud, 2006. "Trade and Growth with Heterogeneous Firms," CEP Discussion Papers dp0727, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
  • Handle: RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp0727
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    trade and endogenous growth; heterogeneous firms; dynamic versus static efficiency;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H32 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Firm
    • P16 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Capitalist Institutions; Welfare State

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