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Business Groups and Trade in East Asia: Part 2, Product Variety

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  • Robert C. Feenstra
  • Maria Yang
  • Gary G. Hamilton

Abstract

We analyze the impact of market structure on the trade performance of South Korea, Taiwan and Japan. Korea has many large, vertically-integrated business groups known as chaebol, whereas business groups in Taiwan are smaller and more specialized in the production of intermediate inputs. We test the hypothesis that the greater vertical integration in Korea results in less product variety than for Taiwan, by constructing indexes of product variety and `product mix' in their exports to the United States. It is found that Taiwan tends to export a greater variety of products to the U.S. than Korea, and this holds across all industries. In addition, Taiwan exports relatively more high-priced intermediate inputs, whereas Korea exports relatively more high-priced final goods. A comparison with Japan is also presented, and we find that Japan has greater product variety in its sales to the U.S. than either Taiwan or Korea.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert C. Feenstra & Maria Yang & Gary G. Hamilton, 1997. "Business Groups and Trade in East Asia: Part 2, Product Variety," NBER Working Papers 5887, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:5887
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Feenstra, Robert C, 1994. "New Product Varieties and the Measurement of International Prices," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(1), pages 157-177, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Feenstra, Robert C. & Madani, Dorsati & Yang, Tzu-Han & Liang, Chi-Yuan, 1999. "Testing endogenous growth in South Korea and Taiwan," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(2), pages 317-341, December.
    2. Tito Boeri & Joaquim Oliveira-Martins, 2002. "Transition, variété des produits et intégration économique," Economie & Prévision, La Documentation Française, vol. 0(1), pages 55-69.
    3. Tito Boeri & Joaquim Oliveira Martins, 2002. "Varieties, Jobs and EU Enlargement," Rivista di Politica Economica, SIPI Spa, vol. 92(1), pages 139-178, January-F.

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    JEL classification:

    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights

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