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Is China climbing up the quality ladder? Estimating cross country differences in product quality using Eurostat's COMEXT trade database

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  • Pula, Gabor
  • Santabárbara, Daniel

Abstract

There is an ongoing debate in the literature about the quality content of Chinese exports and to what extent China imposes a threat to the market positions of advanced economies. While China JEL Classification: F1, F12, F14, F15, F23

Suggested Citation

  • Pula, Gabor & Santabárbara, Daniel, 2011. "Is China climbing up the quality ladder? Estimating cross country differences in product quality using Eurostat's COMEXT trade database," Working Paper Series 1310, European Central Bank.
  • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20111310
    Note: 1085790
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Benkovskis, Konstantins & Wörz, Julia, 2018. "What drives the market share changes? Price versus non-price factors," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 9-29.
    2. Benkovskis Konstantins & Wörz Julia, 2018. "“Made in China”: how does it affect our understanding of global market shares?," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 18(2), pages 1-26, June.
    3. Benkovskis, Konstantins & Wörz, Julia, 2018. "What drives the market share changes? Price versus non-price factors," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 9-29.
    4. Joshua Aizenman, 2015. "Internationalization of the RMB, Capital Market Openness and Financial Reforms in China," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(3), pages 444-460, August.
    5. Guilherme R. Magacho & John S. L. McCombie, 2020. "Structural change and cumulative causation: A Kaldorian approach," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(3), pages 633-660, July.
    6. LATZER, Hélène & MAYNERIS, Florian, 2012. "Income distribution and vertical comparative advantage. Theory and evidence," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2012034, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    7. Giorgia Giovannetti & Marco Sanfilippo & Margherita Velucchi, 2011. "The “China effect” on EU Exports to OECD markets – A focus on Italy," Working Papers - Economics wp2011_17.rdf, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa.
    8. Konstantins Benkovskis & Julia Wörz, 2016. "Non-price competitiveness of exports from emerging countries," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 51(2), pages 707-735, September.
    9. Giorgia Giovannetti, Marco Sanfilippo and Margherita Velucchi, 2012. "The impact of China on manufacturing exports of Italy and Germany," RSCAS Working Papers 2012/26, European University Institute.
    10. Joshua Aizenman, 2015. "Internationalization of the RMB, Capital Market Openness and Financial Reforms in China," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(3), pages 444-460, August.
    11. Hu, Cui & Parsley, David & Tan, Yong, 2021. "Exchange rate induced export quality upgrading: A firm-level perspective," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 336-348.
    12. Joseph, Andreas & Osbat, Chiara, 2016. "How you export matters: the disassortative structure of international trade," Working Paper Series 1958, European Central Bank.
    13. Ágnes Csermely & Péter Harasztosi & Gábor Pellényi, 2012. "Opportunities and challenges – the impact of Chinese competition on Hungarian manufacturing," Chapters, in: Ewald Nowotny & Peter Mooslechner & Doris Ritzberger-Grünwald (ed.), European Integration in a Global Economy, chapter 11, pages 106-118, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    14. Mustafa Çakir & Alain Kabundi, 2017. "Transmission of China's Shocks to the BRIS Countries," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 85(3), pages 430-454, September.
    15. Jacopo Timini & Ayman El-Dahrawy Sánchez-Albornoz, 2019. "The impact of China on Latin America: trade and foreign direct investment channels," Economic Bulletin, Banco de España, issue JUN.
    16. Ettore Dorrucci & Gabor Pula & Daniel Santabárbara, 2013. "China’s economic growth and rebalancing," Occasional Papers 1301, Banco de España.
    17. Giancarlo Corsetti & Luca Dedola & Francesca Viani, 2012. "The international risk sharing puzzle is at business cycle and lower frequency," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 45(2), pages 448-471, May.
    18. Andrea Cerasa, 2016. "Combining homogeneous groups of preclassified observations with application to international trade," Statistica Neerlandica, Netherlands Society for Statistics and Operations Research, vol. 70(3), pages 229-259, August.
    19. ., 2012. "Global trade, regional trade and emerging Europe," Chapters, in: Ewald Nowotny & Peter Mooslechner & Doris Ritzberger-Grünwald (ed.), European Integration in a Global Economy, chapter 9, pages 82-90, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    20. Simola, Heli, 2021. "The impact of Covid-19 on global value chains," BOFIT Policy Briefs 2/2021, Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economies (BOFIT).
    21. Konstantins Benkovskis & Julia Wörz, 2014. "“Made in China” – How Does it Affect Measures of Competitiveness?," Working Papers 193, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank).
    22. Konstantīns Beņkovskis & Julia Wörz, 2015. "Summary Measure for Price and Non-price Competitiveness for ASEAN+3," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 29(2), pages 165-180, June.
    23. Ettore Dorrucci & Gabor Pula & Daniel Santabárbara, 2013. "China’s economic growth and rebalancing," Occasional Papers 1301, Banco de España;Occasional Papers Homepage.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • F1 - International Economics - - Trade
    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business

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