In a world where poor countries provide weak protection for intellectual property rights, market integration will systematically shift technical change in favor of rich nations. For this reason, free trade can increase international income differences. At the same time, integration with countries where intellectual property rights are weakly protected can have a large adverse effect on the worl...

In this paper we consider three questions. Why do only some firms enter export markets? What are the benefits to the firm from export market entry? Why do some of these firms exit the market at a future date? Using data on UK manufacturing firms from 1988 to 2002 we find evidence that information spillovers between firms can raise the probability of entry and for a matched sample of firms there...

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between export barriers and the export performance of Greek firms targeting the Iranian market. Reviewing the literature and using expert opinions, 18 variables were identified. A structured questionnaire was applied to 141 Greek firms and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to categorize variables in 6 dimensions. Then...

This paper focuses on the question of whether labour standards can affect comparative advantage in unskilled-labour-intensive goods, and thereby influence trade flows. Using a Heckscher-Ohlin framework, the effects of low labour standards depend on the type of standard: Forced and child labour lead to an increase in the endowment of unskilled labour, and hence improve comparative advantage in u...

Recent studies have challenged the view that trade openness leads to more specialization in countries’ trade. Using a panel of 116 countries over 35 years, we show that openness can be positively associated with both specialization and diversification, depending on the measure used. Moreover, for developing countries in our sample, the effect of openness on trade structure depends on the type o...

More than half of all US import relationships begin with less than $10,000 annually. The median relationship is observed to last just one year. The incidence and duration of these relationships are consistent with a search model of international trade. The preponderance of small starting relationships reveals uncertainty present in formation of trade relationships. Initial size, reliability, an...

This study tests the importance of Ricardian technology differences for international trade. The empirical analysis has three comparative advantages: including emerging and advanced economies, isolating panel variation regarding the link between productivity and exports, and exploiting heterogeneous technology diffusion from immigrant communities in the United States for identification. The lat...

This paper examines shipments of wine from European producers to various European ports. The research question focuses on disaggregated decisions on which port to use controlling for port performance, distance, and whether a national border must be crossed to reach the port. Using a mixed logit model we find heterogeneous impacts of distance, performance, and national borders on port choice acr...