IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/gii/giihei/heidwp05-2019.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Distance(s) and the Volatility of International Trade(s)

Author

Listed:

Abstract

We show that distance matters for the volatility of international trade and finance beyond its well-known relevance for their level. A model of trade with endogenous markups shows that the effect of distance on the sensitivity of trade to demand shocks depends on the specific nature of entry and production costs. An empirical assessment using several measures of trade and financial transactions shows that they are more volatile for more distant country pairs. This pattern is observed for several forms of distance.

Suggested Citation

  • Arnaud Mehl & Martin Schmitz & Cédric Tille, 2019. "Distance(s) and the Volatility of International Trade(s)," IHEID Working Papers 05-2019, Economics Section, The Graduate Institute of International Studies, revised 07 Sep 2020.
    • Handle: RePEc:gii:giihei:heidwp05-2019
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://repec.graduateinstitute.ch/pdfs/Working_papers/HEIDWP05-2019.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Melitz, Jacques & Toubal, Farid, 2014. "Native language, spoken language, translation and trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(2), pages 351-363.
    2. Enrico Spolaore & Romain Wacziarg, 2016. "War and Relatedness," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 98(5), pages 925-939, December.
    3. Nicolas Berman & José de Sousa & Philippe Martin & Thierry Mayer, 2013. "Time to Ship during Financial Crises," NBER International Seminar on Macroeconomics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 9(1), pages 225-260.
    4. Portes, Richard & Rey, Helene, 2005. "The determinants of cross-border equity flows," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 269-296, March.
    5. Niepmann, Friederike, 2015. "Banking across borders," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(2), pages 244-265.
    6. Gábor Békés & Lionel Fontagné & Balázs Muraközy & Vincent Vicard, 2017. "Shipment frequency of exporters and demand uncertainty," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 153(4), pages 779-807, November.
    7. James E. Anderson & Eric van Wincoop, 2003. "Gravity with Gravitas: A Solution to the Border Puzzle," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(1), pages 170-192, March.
    8. Brei, Michael & von Peter, Goetz, 2018. "The distance effect in banking and trade," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 116-137.
    9. Okawa, Yohei & van Wincoop, Eric, 2012. "Gravity in International Finance," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 205-215.
    10. Paulo Guimarães & Pedro Portugal, 2010. "A simple feasible procedure to fit models with high-dimensional fixed effects," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 10(4), pages 628-649, December.
    11. Aviat, Antonin & Coeurdacier, Nicolas, 2007. "The geography of trade in goods and asset holdings," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 22-51, March.
    12. Galstyan, Vahagn & Lane, Philip R., 2013. "Bilateral portfolio dynamics during the global financial crisis," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 63-74.
    13. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/c8dmi8nm4pdjkuc9g708pipbp is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Mayer, Thierry & Zignago, Soledad, 2006. "Notes on CEPII’s distances measures," MPRA Paper 26469, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Blum, Bernardo S. & Goldfarb, Avi, 2006. "Does the internet defy the law of gravity?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(2), pages 384-405, December.
    16. Richard Baldwin & Paul Krugman, 1989. "Persistent Trade Effects of Large Exchange Rate Shocks," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 104(4), pages 635-654.
    17. Philip R. Lane & Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti, 2008. "International Investment Patterns," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 90(3), pages 538-549, August.
    18. Portes, Richard & Rey, Helene & Oh, Yonghyup, 2001. "Information and capital flows: The determinants of transactions in financial assets," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(4-6), pages 783-796, May.
    19. Baldwin, Richard, 1988. "Hyteresis in Import Prices: The Beachhead Effect," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 78(4), pages 773-785, September.
    20. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/c8dmi8nm4pdjkuc9g708pipbp is not listed on IDEAS
    21. JaeBin Ahn & Mary Amiti & David E. Weinstein, 2011. "Trade Finance and the Great Trade Collapse," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(3), pages 298-302, May.
    22. Paul Krugman, 1997. "Development, Geography, and Economic Theory," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 026261135x, December.
    23. Edward E. Leamer, 2007. "A Flat World, a Level Playing Field, a Small World After All, or None of the Above? A Review of Thomas L Friedman's The World is Flat," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 45(1), pages 83-126, March.
    24. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/6ggbvnr6munghes9oc1hne632 is not listed on IDEAS
    25. Rudolfs Bems & Robert C. Johnson & Kei-Mu Yi, 2013. "The Great Trade Collapse," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 5(1), pages 375-400, May.
    26. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/dambferfb7dfprc9m01g1j1k2 is not listed on IDEAS
    27. Hellmanzik, Christiane & Schmitz, Martin, 2017. "Taking gravity online: The role of virtual proximity in international finance," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 164-179.
    28. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/58gkob9fur9g692gbiqnqb3mdj is not listed on IDEAS
    29. Ingo Eduard Isphording & Sebastian Otten, 2013. "The Costs of Babylon—Linguistic Distance in Applied Economics," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(2), pages 354-369, May.
    30. Matthieu Bussière & Giovanni Callegari & Fabio Ghironi & Giulia Sestieri & Norihiko Yamano, 2013. "Estimating Trade Elasticities: Demand Composition and the Trade Collapse of 2008-2009," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 5(3), pages 118-151, July.
    31. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/6ggbvnr6munghes9oc1hne632 is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Rogelio V. Mercado, 2023. "Bilateral capital flows: Gravity, push and pull," International Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(1), pages 36-63, April.
    2. Mercado, Rogelio V., 2023. "Bilateral capital flows: Transaction patterns and gravity," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 39-54.
    3. Chiţu, Livia & Eichengreen, Barry & Mehl, Arnaud, 2014. "History, gravity and international finance," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 104-129.
    4. Hellmanzik, Christiane & Schmitz, Martin, 2017. "Taking gravity online: The role of virtual proximity in international finance," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 164-179.
    5. Fabian J. Baier & Paul J. J. Welfens, 2019. "The UK’s banking FDI flows and Total British FDI: a dynamic BREXIT analysis," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 193-213, March.
    6. Head, Keith & Mayer, Thierry, 2014. "Gravity Equations: Workhorse,Toolkit, and Cookbook," Handbook of International Economics, in: Gopinath, G. & Helpman, . & Rogoff, K. (ed.), Handbook of International Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 0, pages 131-195, Elsevier.
    7. Sander, Harald & Kleimeier, Stefanie & Heuchemer, Sylvia, 2016. "The resurgence of cultural borders during the financial crisis: The changing geography of Eurozone cross-border depositing," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 12-26.
    8. MacDonald, Margaux, 2017. "International capital market frictions and spillovers from quantitative easing," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 135-156.
    9. Mary Everett & Vahagn Galstyan, 2020. "Bilateral cross-border banking and macroeconomic determinants," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 156(4), pages 921-944, November.
    10. Cerutti, Eugenio & Casanova, Catherine & Pradhan, Swapan-Kumar, 2023. "Banking across borders: Are Chinese banks different?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    11. Hattari, Rabin & S. Rajan, Ramkishen, 2011. "How Different are FDI and FPI Flows?: Distance and Capital Market Integration," Journal of Economic Integration, Center for Economic Integration, Sejong University, vol. 26, pages 499-525.
    12. Brei, Michael & von Peter, Goetz, 2018. "The distance effect in banking and trade," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 116-137.
    13. Luke Milsom & Vladimír Pažitka & Isabelle Roland & Dariusz Wójcik, 2020. "Gravity in international finance: evidence from fees on equity transactions," CEP Discussion Papers dp1703, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    14. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/dambferfb7dfprc9m01g1j1k2 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/dambferfb7dfprc9m01g1j1k2 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Mehigan, Caroline, 2018. "Bilateral adjustment of bank assets: Boom and bust," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 144-158.
    17. Carvalho, Daniel, 2022. "The portfolio holdings of euro area investors: Looking through investment funds," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    18. Kleimeier, S. & Sander, H. & Heuchemer, S., 2014. "The resurgence of cultural borders in international finance during the financial crisis: Evidence from Eurozone cross-border depositing," Research Memorandum 013, Maastricht University, Graduate School of Business and Economics (GSBE).
    19. Rabin Hattari & Ramkishen S. Rajan, 2011. "How Different are FDI and FPI Flows?: Does Distance Alter the Composition of Capital Flows?," Working Papers 092011, Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research.
    20. Kleimeier - Ros, Stefanie & Qi, Shusen & Sander, H., 2016. "Deposit Insurance in Times of Crises: Safe Haven or Regulatory Arbitrage? (RM/15/026-revised-)," Research Memorandum 026, Maastricht University, Graduate School of Business and Economics (GSBE).
    21. Bhamra, Harjoat S. & Coeurdacier, Nicolas & Guibaud, Stéphane, 2014. "A dynamic equilibrium model of imperfectly integrated financial markets," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 490-542.
    22. Milsom, Luke & Pažitka, Vladimír & Roland, Isabelle & Wójcik, Dariusz, 2023. "The gravity of syndication ties in international equity underwriting," Bank of England working papers 1021, Bank of England.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    distance; gravity; volatility; international trade; international finance; Great Trade Collapse; Covid-19 pandemic;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
    • F30 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - General

    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:gii:giihei:heidwp05-2019. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    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 bibliographic 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.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Dorina Dobre (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ieheich.html .

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

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.