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Trade Liberalisation and Agglomeration with Firm Heterogeneity - Forward and Backward Linkages

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Abstract

This paper studies the impact of trade costs reduction on geographical concentration in the presence of firm heterogeneity and overhead type of export fixed costs. Firm heterogeneity with the export fixed costs hampers full agglomeration through weakening the forward and backward linkages and fortifying the market crowding effect. Rather than catastrophic agglomeration that the standard new economic geography models have long suggested, trade liberalisation causes gradual agglomeration. Also, trade liberalisation never produces a perfect convergence in welfare for the periphery, which loses, and the core, which gains. Even free trade never equalises the welfare between core and periphery, i.e. trade liberalisation does not eliminate inequality among nations.

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  • Toshihiro Okubo, 2006. "Trade Liberalisation and Agglomeration with Firm Heterogeneity - Forward and Backward Linkages," IHEID Working Papers 17-2006, Economics Section, The Graduate Institute of International Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:gii:giihei:heiwp17-2006
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    2. Rikard Forslid & Toshihiro Okubo, 2015. "Which Firms Are Left In The Periphery? Spatial Sorting Of Heterogeneous Firms With Scale Economies In Transportation," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(1), pages 51-65, January.
    3. Hangtian Xu & Yiming Zhou, 2023. "Inter-industry trade and heterogeneous firms: country size matters," The Japanese Economic Review, Springer, vol. 74(1), pages 57-81, January.
    4. Yiming Zhou, 2025. "Industrial agglomeration, firm heterogeneity, and environmental pollution," Portuguese Economic Journal, Springer;Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestao, vol. 24(3), pages 393-418, September.
    5. von Ehrlich, Maximilian & Seidel, Tobias, 2013. "More similar firms — More similar regions? On the role of firm heterogeneity for agglomeration," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(3), pages 539-548.
    6. Richard E. Baldwin & Toshihiro Okubo, 2014. "Tax Competition with Heterogeneous Firms," Spatial Economic Analysis, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(3), pages 309-326, September.
    7. Behrens, Kristian & Robert-Nicoud, Frédéric, 2008. "Survival of the fittest in cities: agglomeration, selection, and polarisation," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 28506, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. Yiming Zhou, 2020. "Heterogeneous firms, urban costs and agglomeration," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 16(3), pages 329-348, September.
    9. Po‐Hao Lu & Jyh‐Fa Tsai, 2025. "A footloose entrepreneur model with productivity heterogeneity in two regions," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(1), pages 121-138, March.
    10. Sun, Churen & Yu, Zhihao & Zhang, Tao, 2012. "Agglomeration and Trade with Heterogeneous Firms," MPRA Paper 49001, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 17 Aug 2013.
    11. Yiming Zhou, 2020. "Urban agglomeration and heterogeneous firms: a synthesis of Helpman and Melitz," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 130(3), pages 275-296, August.
    12. Richard E. Baldwin & Toshihiro Okubo, 2014. "International Trade, Offshoring and Heterogeneous Firms," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(1), pages 59-72, February.
    13. Forslid, Rikard & Okubo, Toshihiro, 2017. "Early agglomeration or late agglomeration?: Two phases of development with spatial sorting," CEPR Discussion Papers 11977, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    14. Kristian Behrens & Frédéric Robert-Nicoud, 2009. "Survival of the Fittest in Cities: Agglomeration, Polarization, and Income Inequality," Cahiers de recherche 0919, CIRPEE.
    15. Toshihiro Okubo, 2012. "Antiagglomeration Subsidies With Heterogeneous Firms," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(2), pages 285-299, May.
    16. Churen Sun & Zhihao Yu & Tao Zhang, 2012. "Agglomeration, Productivity, and Firms¡® Exports: Evidence from Chinese Firm-level Data," ERSA conference papers ersa12p882, European Regional Science Association.

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    JEL classification:

    • H32 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Firm
    • P16 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Capitalist Institutions; Welfare State

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