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Trade and Growth with Heterogenous Firms

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Listed author(s):
  • Baldwin, Richard
  • Robert-Nicoud, Frédéric

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.

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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number 5563.

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Date of creation: Mar 2006
Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:5563
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Keywords: dynamic versus static efficiency; heterogeneous firms; trade and endogenous growth;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
  • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration
  • F43 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Economic Growth of Open Economies

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