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Markups, Markets Imperfections, and Trade Openness: Evidence from Ghana

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  • Kaku Attah Damoah

    (Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa)

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of Ghana’s WTO accession on firm-level product and labour market imperfections. We exploit a rich dataset of firm-level information to estimate both markups and the degree of monopsony power enjoyed by manufacturing firms. Results suggest that price-cost margins declined, while the degree of monopsony power increased in the wake of WTO accession. These diverging dynamics suggests that firms compress real wages to offset loss of market power in the product market due to increased international competition. This results in an increase of the market imperfection gap, which gradually erodes the pro-competitive gains from trade. The paper contributes to the literature by identifying channels through which allocative inefficiencies and misallocation can persist even after trade liberalisation.

Suggested Citation

  • Kaku Attah Damoah, 2017. "Markups, Markets Imperfections, and Trade Openness: Evidence from Ghana," Working Papers - Economics wp2017_15.rdf, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa.
    • Handle: RePEc:frz:wpaper:wp2017_15.rdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Bartelsman, Eric & Dobbelaere, Sabien & Mattioli, Alessandro Zona, 2024. "Non-compete Agreements, Tacit Knowledge and Market Imperfections," IZA Discussion Papers 17260, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Hu, Jianwei & Hua, Xiuping & Li, Haolin & Boateng, Agyenim, 2025. "Home region orientation, international intensity, and funding performance of international crowdfunding projects," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    3. Xie, Enze & Xu, Mingzhi & Yu, Miaojie, 2024. "Trade liberalization, labor market power, and misallocation across firms: Evidence from China's WTO accession," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • O14 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology
    • O24 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - Trade Policy; Factor Movement; Foreign Exchange Policy

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