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Exporters and Shocks: Dissecting the International Elasticity Puzzle

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  • Doireann Fitzgerald
  • Stefanie Haller

Abstract

Aggregate exports are not very responsive to real exchange rates, though they re- spond strongly to trade liberalizations, a fact sometimes referred to as the International Elasticity Puzzle. We use micro data on firms and exports for Ireland to dissect the puzzle. Our identification strategy uses within-firm-year cross-market variation in real exchange rates and tariffs to identify the responses of export participation, export rev- enue and the product dimension of exporting to these variables. We show that (i) the weak response of export revenue of long-time market participants to real exchange rates is key to the behavior of aggregate exports, (ii) export participation also responds less to real exchange rates than to tariffs, but this alone cannot explain the puzzle; and (iii) the revenue response of long-time market participants cannot be accounted for by product entry responses. Hence any model that can successfully account for the puzzle needs to match the intensive margin responses of exporting firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Doireann Fitzgerald & Stefanie Haller, 2014. "Exporters and Shocks: Dissecting the International Elasticity Puzzle," Working Papers 201408, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucn:wpaper:201408
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10197/5604
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    Cited by:

    1. Matthieu Bussière & Guillaume Gaulier & Walter Steingress, 2020. "Global Trade Flows: Revisiting the Exchange Rate Elasticities," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 31(1), pages 25-78, February.
    2. Agnès Bénassy-Quéré & Matthieu Bussière & Pauline Wibaux, 2018. "Trade and currency weapons," Working Papers 2018-08, CEPII research center.
    3. Richard Fabling & Lynda Sanderson, 2015. "Exchange rate fluctuations and the margins of exports," Working Papers 15_05, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    4. Bas, Maria & Mayer, Thierry & Thoenig, Mathias, 2017. "From micro to macro: Demand, supply, and heterogeneity in the trade elasticity," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 1-19.
    5. Yaniv Yedid-Levi & Stefanie Haller & Doireann Fitzgerald, 2016. "How Exporters Grow," 2016 Meeting Papers 499, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    6. Antoine Berthou & Lionel Fontagné, 2016. "Variable Trade Costs, Composition Effects and the Intensive Margin of Trade," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(1), pages 54-71, January.
    7. Willem THORBECKE & Nimesh SALIKE & CHEN Chen, 2020. "China's Exports in a Protectionist World," Discussion papers 20011, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    8. Yilmazkuday, Hakan, 2019. "Understanding the international elasticity puzzle," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 140-153.
    9. Heid, Benedikt & Larch, Mario, 2016. "Gravity with unemployment," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 70-85.
    10. Ernest Gnan & Mar Gudmundsson & Klaus Liebscher & Dietrich Domanski & Alexandra Heath & Juan Delgado & Walter Boltz & Birger Vikoren & Vasily Astrov & Stephan Barisitz & Simon-Erik Ollus & Ulrich Kohl, 2008. "Commodities, Energy and Finance," SUERF Studies, SUERF - The European Money and Finance Forum, number 2008/2 edited by Ernest Gnan & Mar Gudmundsson & Morten Balling, October.
    11. Thorbecke, Willem, 2019. "East Asian value chains, exchange rates, and regional exchange rate arrangements," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    12. Veronica Rappoport & Philipp Schnabl & Daniel Paravisini, 2015. "Comparative Advantage and Specialization in Bank Lending," 2015 Meeting Papers 499, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    13. Salamat Ali, 2020. "Exchange Rate Effects on Agricultural Exports: Transaction‐Level Evidence from Pakistan," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 102(3), pages 1020-1044, May.
    14. Hakan Yilmazkuday, 2017. "Unifying Macro Elasticities in International Economics," Globalization Institute Working Papers 299, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, revised 01 Jan 2017.
    15. Salamat Ali, 2017. "Exchange Rate Effects on Agricultural Exports: Firm-level Evidence from Pakistan," Discussion Papers 2017-09, University of Nottingham, GEP.
    16. Li, Hongbin & Ma, Hong & Xu, Yuan, 2015. "How do exchange rate movements affect Chinese exports? — A firm-level investigation," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(1), pages 148-161.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Firm exports; Tariffs; Exchange rates; International elasticity puzzle;

    JEL classification:

    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • F41 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Open Economy Macroeconomics

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