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...

We present the optical properties of fully (C42F28, PF-RUB) and half-fluorinated (C42F14H14; F14-RUB) rubrene, both in thin films and as monomers in solution and compare them to hydrogenated rubrene (C42H28, RUB). All three compounds show similar optical absorption bands and photoluminescence line shapes. The results are interpreted with density functional calculations of the orbital energies a...

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...

We provide evidence that increased political influence, arising from CIA interventions during the Cold War, was used to create a larger foreign market for American products. Following CIA interventions, imports from the US increased dramatically, while total exports to the US were unaffected. The surge in imports was concentrated in industries in which the US had a comparative disadvantage, not...

This paper applies the recently developed econometric methods of panel unit root tests and non-linear mean-reversion to investigate price convergence in China --the largest transitional economy in the world. We find that prices did converge to the law of one price in China for an overwhelming majority of goods and services based on a large panel dataset. The finding sheds light on the extent of...

ABSTRACT We examine how exposure to international tax competition affects domestic firms’ employment. Consistent with prior work, we find evidence that reductions in foreign rates affect the competitive environment via increases import and investment foreign-owned subsidiaries. posit these changes can cause managers reduce their employment levels. our expectation, relative decreases negatively ...

This paper reviews the empirical evidence on firm heterogeneity in international trade. A first wave of empirical findings from micro data on plants and firms proposed challenges for existing models of international trade and inspired the development of new theories emphasizing firm heterogeneity. Subsequent empirical research has examined additional predictions of these theories and explored o...