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Testing the Heckscher-Ohlin-Vanek Theory with a Natural Experiment

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  • Assaf Zimring

    (Cornerstone Research)

Abstract

This paper uses the historical episode of the near-elimination of commuting from the West Bank into Israel, which caused a large and rapid expansion of the local labor force in the West Bank, to test the predictions of the Heckscher-Ohlin-Vanek (HOV) mode of trade. I use variation between districts in the West Bank to test these predictions, and find strong support for them: Wage changes were not correlated with the size of the shock to the district labor force (Factor Price Insensitivity); Districts that received larger influx of returning commuters shifted production more towards labor intensive industries (Rybczynski effect); And on the consumption side, the data are consistent with the assumption of identical homothetic preferences, which, combined with the production results, supports the Heckscher-Ohlin-Vanek theorem on the factor content of trade.

Suggested Citation

  • Assaf Zimring, 2015. "Testing the Heckscher-Ohlin-Vanek Theory with a Natural Experiment," Upjohn Working Papers 15-243, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:upj:weupjo:15-243
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Belal Fallah & Ayhab Saad, 2018. "Schooling Choices’ Responses to Labor Market Shocks: Evidence From a Natural Experiment," Working Papers 1227, Economic Research Forum, revised 18 Sep 2018.
    2. Bilal Nabeel Falah & Marcelo Bérgolo & Arwa Abu Hashhash & Mohammad Hattawy & Iman Saadeh, 2019. "The Effect of Labor-Demand Shocks on Women’s Participation in the Labor Force: Evidence from Palestine," Working Papers PMMA 2019-08, PEP-PMMA.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Heckscher-Ohlin; factor prices; Rybczynski effect; international trade; natural experiment; West Bank;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F11 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Neoclassical Models of Trade
    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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