IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/era/wpaper/dp-2015-33.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Firm-level Impact of Free Trade Agreements on Import Prices

Author

Listed:
  • Kazunobu HAYAKAWA

    (Bangkok Research Center, Institute of Developing Economies, Thailand)

  • Nuttawut LAKSANAPANYAKUL

    (Science and Technology Development Program, Thailand Development Research Institute, Thailand)

  • Shujiro URATA

    (Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University, Japan)

Abstract

We examine the firm-level impact of the use of free trade agreement (FTA) schemes on import prices by employing firm-level import data that enables us to identify the use of different tariff schemes, such as FTA schemes and most favoured nation (MFN) schemes. Unlike the previous studies, we estimate the firm-level effects of FTA use on import prices by controlling for firms’ characteristics. We find that, on average, the use of FTA schemes raises (tariffexclusive) import prices by 3 percent in total. Interestingly, the use of FTA schemes raises import prices even if FTA rates are same as MFN rates. We also find that the large-sized firms in terms of import values reduce the positive effects of the use of FTA schemes on import prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Kazunobu HAYAKAWA & Nuttawut LAKSANAPANYAKUL & Shujiro URATA, 2015. "Firm-level Impact of Free Trade Agreements on Import Prices," Working Papers DP-2015-33, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    • Handle: RePEc:era:wpaper:dp-2015-33
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.eria.org/ERIA-DP-2015-33.pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Broda, Christian & Greenfield, Joshua & Weinstein, David E., 2017. "From groundnuts to globalization: A structural estimate of trade and growth," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(4), pages 759-783.
    2. repec:clu:wpaper:0708-12 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Feenstra, Robert C., 1989. "Symmetric pass-through of tariffs and exchange rates under imperfect competition: An empirical test," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(1-2), pages 25-45, August.
    4. Takahashi, Katsuhide & Urata, Shujiro, 2010. "On the Use of FTAs by Japanese Firms: Further Evidence," Business and Politics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, April.
    5. Won Chang & L. Alan Winters, 2015. "How Regional Blocs Affect Excluded Countries: The Price Effects of MERCOSUR," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Non-Tariff Barriers, Regionalism and Poverty Essays in Applied International Trade Analysis, chapter 11, pages 199-214, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    6. Richard Baldwin & James Harrigan, 2011. "Zeros, Quality, and Space: Trade Theory and Trade Evidence," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 3(2), pages 60-88, May.
    7. Cadot, Olivier & Carrere, Celine & De Melo, Jaime & Tumurchudur, Bolormaa, 2006. "Product-specific rules of origin in EU and US preferential trading arrangements: an assessment," World Trade Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 5(2), pages 199-224, July.
    8. Cherkashin, Ivan & Demidova, Svetlana & Kee, Hiau Looi & Krishna, Kala, 2015. "Firm heterogeneity and costly trade: A new estimation strategy and policy experiments," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(1), pages 18-36.
    9. Hayakawa, Kazunobu & Nuttawut, Laksanapanyakul & Shiino, Kohei, 2013. "Some practical guidance for the computation of free trade agreement utilization rates," IDE Discussion Papers 438, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    10. Maurice Kugler & Eric Verhoogen, 2012. "Prices, Plant Size, and Product Quality," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 79(1), pages 307-339.
    11. Venkatachalam ANBUMOZHI & Alex BOWEN & Puthusserikunnel Devasia JOSE, 2015. "Market-Based Mechanisms to Promote Renewable Energy in Asia," Working Papers DP-2015-30, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    12. Çaglar Özden & Gunjan Sharma, 2006. "Price Effects of Preferential Market Access: Caribbean Basin Initiative and the Apparel Sector," World Bank Economic Review, World Bank Group, vol. 20(2), pages 241-259.
    13. Misa OKABE, 2015. "Impact of Free Trade Agreements on Trade in East Asia," Working Papers DP-2015-01, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    14. Hayakawa, Kazunobu & Kim, HanSung & Nuttawut, Laksanapanyakul & Shiino, Kohei, 2013. "FTA utilization : certificate of origin data versus customs data," IDE Discussion Papers 428, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    15. Demidova, Svetlana & Krishna, Kala, 2008. "Firm heterogeneity and firm behavior with conditional policies," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 98(2), pages 122-128, February.
    16. Xavier Cirera, 2014. "Who captures the price rent? The impact of European Union trade preferences on export prices," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 150(3), pages 507-527, August.
    17. Johnson, Robert C., 2012. "Trade and prices with heterogeneous firms," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(1), pages 43-56.
    18. Görg, Holger & Halpern, László & Muraközy, Balázs, 2010. "Why do within firm-product export prices differ across markets?," Kiel Working Papers 1596, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW).
    19. Winters, L. Alan & Chang, Won, 2000. "Regional integration and import prices: an empirical investigation," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 363-377, August.
    20. Marc J. Melitz, 2003. "The Impact of Trade on Intra-Industry Reallocations and Aggregate Industry Productivity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 71(6), pages 1695-1725, November.
    21. Marcelo Olarreaga & Çaglar Özden, 2005. "AGOA and Apparel: Who Captures the Tariff Rent in the Presence of Preferential Market Access?," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 63-77, January.
    22. Nicolas Berman & Philippe Martin & Thierry Mayer, 2012. "How do Different Exporters React to Exchange Rate Changes?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 127(1), pages 437-492.
    23. Kazunobu Hayakawa, 2015. "Does firm size matter in exporting and using FTA schemes?," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(7), pages 883-905, October.
    24. Olivier Cadot & Céline Carrère & Jaime de Melo & Alberto Portugal-Pérez, 2005. "Market Access and Welfare under Free Trade Agreements: Textiles under," World Bank Economic Review, World Bank Group, vol. 19(3), pages 379-405.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kwark, Noh-Sun & Lim, Hosung, 2020. "Have the free trade agreements reduced inflation rates?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kazunobu Hayakawa & Nuttawut Laksanapanyakul & Hiroshi Mukunoki & Shujiro Urata, 2016. "Impact of Free Trade Agreement Utilisation on Import Prices," Working Papers DP-2016-24, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    2. Hayakawa, Kazunobu & Yang, Chih-Hai, 2013. "How do free trade agreements change import prices? : firm-level evidence from China's imports from ASEAN," IDE Discussion Papers 436, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    3. HAYAKAWA Kazunobu & JINJI Naoto & MATSUURA Toshiyuki & YOSHIMI Taiyo, 2019. "Costs of Utilizing Regional Trade Agreements," Discussion papers 19054, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    4. Toshiyuki Matsuura & Kazunobu Hayakawa & Nuttawut LAKSANAPANYAKUL & Yuta Watabe, 2014. "Price and Quality Changes in Outsiders of Regional Trade Agreements," Working Papers e084, Tokyo Center for Economic Research.
    5. Naoto JINJI & Kazunobu HAYAKAWA & Nuttawut LAKSANAPANYAKUL & Toshiyuki MATSUURA & Taiyo YOSHIMI, 2020. "A New Approach for Quantifying the Costs of Utilizing Regional Trade Agreements," Discussion papers e-19-010, Graduate School of Economics , Kyoto University.
    6. Kazunobu HAYAKAWA & Tadashi ITO, 2015. "Tariff Pass-through of the World-wide Trade: Empirical Evidence at Tariff-line Level," Working Papers DP-2015-34, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    7. Hayakawa, Kazunobu, 2017. "Asymmetric tariff pass-through to trade prices," IDE Discussion Papers 631, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    8. Hayakawa, Kazunobu & Laksanapanyakul, Nuttawut & Yoshimi, Taiyo, 2016. "Firm-level utilization rates of regional trade agreements : importers' perspective," IDE Discussion Papers 615, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    9. Youngmin BAEK & HAYAKAWA Kazunobu & TSUBOTA Kenmei & URATA Shujiro & YAMANOUCHI Kenta, 2019. "Tariff Pass-through in Wholesaling: Evidence from Firm-level Data in Japan," Discussion papers 19064, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    10. Bas, Maria & Strauss-Kahn, Vanessa, 2015. "Input-trade liberalization, export prices and quality upgrading," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(2), pages 250-262.
    11. Xavier Cirera, 2014. "Who captures the price rent? The impact of European Union trade preferences on export prices," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 150(3), pages 507-527, August.
    12. Hayakawa, Kazunobu & Kimura, Fukunari & Laksanapanyakul, Nuttawut, 2016. "Firm-level trade creation and diversion of regional trade agreements in Thailand," IDE Discussion Papers 621, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    13. Chen, Natalie & Juvenal, Luciana, 2019. "Markups, Quality, and Trade Costs," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 446, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    14. Brambilla, Irene & Porto, Guido G., 2016. "High-income export destinations, quality and wages," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 21-35.
    15. José Antonio Rodríguez-López, 2011. "Prices and Exchange Rates: A Theory of Disconnect," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 78(3), pages 1135-1177.
    16. Hayakawa, Kazunobu & Nuttawut, Laksanapanyakul & Shiino, Kohei, 2013. "Some practical guidance for the computation of free trade agreement utilization rates," IDE Discussion Papers 438, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).
    17. A. Auer, Raphael & Chaney, Thomas & Sauré, Philip, 2018. "Quality pricing-to-market," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 87-102.
    18. Harrigan, James & Ma, Xiangjun & Shlychkov, Victor, 2015. "Export prices of U.S. firms," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(1), pages 100-111.
    19. Sarantis Kalyvitis, 2015. "Who exports high-quality products? Some empirical regularities from Greek exporting firms," Working Papers 201, Bank of Greece.
    20. Holger Görg & László Halpern & Balázs Muraközy, 2017. "Why do within-firm–product export prices differ across markets? Evidence from Hungary," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(6), pages 1233-1246, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    FTA; Prices; Thailand;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration
    • F33 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - International Monetary Arrangements and Institutions

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:era:wpaper:dp-2015-33. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Ranti Amelia). General contact details of provider: http://edirc.repec.org/data/eriadid.html .

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service hosted by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis . RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.