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Gains from Trade in Used Goods: Evidence from the Global Market for Automobiles

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Listed author(s):
  • Sofronis Clerides

Abstract

This paper investigates the welfare effects of trade liberalization by exploiting a natural policy experiment in the small open economy of Cyprus. A 1993 law relaxed import restrictions on used vehicles and facilitated the flow of used Japanese vehicles into the country. This led to a dramatic shift of consumer purchases from new to used cars and a substantial expansion of the overall market. Estimated welfare gains are of the order of several hundred dollars per purchaser. The findings are indicative of the potential for substantial gains from liberalizing trade in used goods, which could also alter trade flows and production

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File URL: http://papers.econ.ucy.ac.cy/RePEc/papers/6-2004.pdf
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Paper provided by University of Cyprus Department of Economics in its series University of Cyprus Working Papers in Economics with number 6-2004.

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Length: 25 pages
Date of creation: Dec 2004
Handle: RePEc:ucy:cypeua:6-2004
Contact details of provider: Web page: http://www.ucy.ac.cy/econ/en

Keywords: automobile industry; differentiated products; gains from trade; used goods; trade liberalization;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
  • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
  • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
  • L92 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Railroads and Other Surface Transportation

References listed on IDEAS
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  1. Daniel A. Ackerberg & Marc Rysman, 2005. "Unobserved Product Differentiation in Discrete-Choice Models: Estimating Price Elasticities and Welfare Effects," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 36(4), pages 771-788, Winter.
  2. Sofronis Clerides & Costas Hadjiyiannis, 2004. "Trade-Inducing Quality Standards for Used Durables," University of Cyprus Working Papers in Economics 5-2004, University of Cyprus Department of Economics.
  3. Bond, Eric W, 1982. "A Direct Test of the "Lemons" Model: The Market for Used Pickup Trucks," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 72(4), pages 836-840, September.
  4. Levinsohn, James, 1993. "Testing the imports-as-market-discipline hypothesis," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(1-2), pages 1-22, August.
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  7. Giorgio Barba Navaretti & Isidro Soloaga & Wendy Takacs, 1998. "Bargains Rejected? Developing Country Trade Policy on Used Equipment," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 12(2), pages 353-362, 07.
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  9. Cardell, N. Scott, 1997. "Variance Components Structures for the Extreme-Value and Logistic Distributions with Application to Models of Heterogeneity," Econometric Theory, Cambridge University Press, vol. 13(02), pages 185-213, April.
  10. Robert H. Porter & Peter Sattler, 1999. "Patterns of Trade in the Market for Used Durables: Theory and Evidence," NBER Working Papers 7149, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  11. Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg & Frank Verboven, 2001. "The Evolution of Price Dispersion in the European Car Market," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 68(4), pages 811-848.
  12. Navaretti, Giorgio Barba & Soloaga, Isidro & Takacs, Wendy, 2000. "Vintage Technologies and Skill Constraints: Evidence from U.S. Exports of New and Used Machines," World Bank Economic Review, World Bank Group, vol. 14(1), pages 91-109, January.
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  14. Grubel, Herbert G., 1980. "International trade in used cars and problems of economic development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 8(10), pages 781-788, October.
  15. Trajtenberg, Manuel, 1989. "The Welfare Analysis of Product Innovations, with an Application to Computed Tomography Scanners," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 97(2), pages 444-479, April.
  16. repec:cup:etheor:v:13:y:1997:i:2:p:185-213 is not listed on IDEAS
  17. Berry, Steven & Levinsohn, James & Pakes, Ariel, 1995. "Automobile Prices in Market Equilibrium," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 63(4), pages 841-890, July.
  18. M. A. M. Smith, 1976. "International Trade Theory in Vintage Models," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 43(1), pages 99-113.
  19. Bond, Eric W, 1983. "Trade in Used Equipment with Heterogeneous Firms," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 91(4), pages 688-705, August.
  20. Goldberg, Pinelopi Koujianou, 1995. "Product Differentiation and Oligopoly in International Markets: The Case of the U.S. Automobile Industry," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 63(4), pages 891-951, July.
  21. Genesove, David, 1993. "Adverse Selection in the Wholesale Used Car Market," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 101(4), pages 644-665, August.
  22. repec:rus:hseeco:121669 is not listed on IDEAS
  23. Nagaoka, Sadao & Kimura, Fukunari, 1999. "The Competitive Impact of International Trade: The Case of Import Liberalization of the Japanese Oil Product Market," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 397-423, December.
  24. Harrison, Ann & Hanson, Gordon, 1999. "Who gains from trade reform? Some remaining puzzles," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(1), pages 125-154, June.
  25. Steven T. Berry, 1994. "Estimating Discrete-Choice Models of Product Differentiation," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 25(2), pages 242-262, Summer.
  26. Krugman, Paul R., 1979. "Increasing returns, monopolistic competition, and international trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(4), pages 469-479, November.
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Cited by:

  1. Clerides, Sofronis & Hadjiyiannis, Costas, 2008. "Quality standards for used durables: An indirect subsidy?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(2), pages 268-282, July.
  2. Clerides, Sofronis, 2008. "Gains from trade in used goods: Evidence from automobiles," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(2), pages 322-336, December.
  3. Nkunde Mwase, 2006. "An Empirical Investigation of the Exchange Rate Pass-Through to Inflation in Tanzania," IMF Working Papers 06/150, International Monetary Fund.

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