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Transportation Infrastructure and Trade

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  • Zheng, Han
  • Hongtao, Li

Abstract

This paper offers a variant of the Ricardian model able to structurally interpret the estimate of country-specific variable—transportation infrastructure. Guided by this new theoretical framework, this paper shows that transportation infrastructure enhances international trade more than internal trade. Further quantitative analysis suggests 10% increase in transportation infrastructure induces 3.9% increase in real income and more than 95% of the gains concentrate on the infrastructure improving country. This paper also suggests that transportation infrastructure improvement increases real income mostly through internal trade cost reduction. All the above results suggest that better infrastructure leads to sizable gains providing additional empirical support to policies aiming to improve transportation infrastructure.

Suggested Citation

  • Zheng, Han & Hongtao, Li, 2022. "Transportation Infrastructure and Trade," Discussion paper series HIAS-E-124, Hitotsubashi Institute for Advanced Study, Hitotsubashi University.
    • Handle: RePEc:hit:hiasdp:hias-e-124
    Note: October 20, 2022
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gravity model; Transportation infrastructure; Internal trade cost;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

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