Suchergebnisse

SummaryThe Ricardian and Heckscher‐Ohlin models of international trade contend that firms do not play any role in shaping countries' export specialization. However, the evidence shows that few firms dominate exports in many countries. This paper analyzes the relative contribution of fundamental (country) and granular (individual) comparative advantage to the differences in specialization across countries in a particular activity: chess. Using data on the quality of around 146,000 chess players in 106 countries in 2015, I find that fundamental comparative advantage is the main contributor to the variation in countries' specialization in chess. However, the contribution of granular comparative advantage becomes larger when analyzing specialization in very high‐quality chess players. Despite the appearance of chess servers that allow playing online and offer tools to improve chess skills, I do not find convergence in fundamental comparative advantage over the period 2001‐2015.

ABSTRACTThis paper analyses the relationship between export status and productivity in a major service exporter, Spain, during 2001–07. I find that exporters in the services sector are 45 percent more productive than non‐exporters. This productivity premium is larger for firms that supply non‐internet‐related services than for firms that supply internet‐related services. The results show that exporters were more productive than non‐exporters before beginning to export, and also that exporting increases productivity growth; however, this positive shock vanishes quickly.

According to recent studies, countries specialised in goods associated with high productivity levels grow faster than countries specialised in goods associated with low productivity levels. In this paper we analyse whether that relationship also takes place at the regional level. Using a unique, highly-disaggregated, regional trade database, we calculate the productivity level associated to Spanish provinces' exports and analyse whether provinces that latch on more productive exports have achieved higher rates of growth. Our results show that there is also a positive link between exports' productivity and growth at a regional level.

International audience ; This paper estimates the tariff equivalent of the border barrier in each bilateral trade among European Union countries. The results show that there are large differences in the border barrier across European Union countries' bilateral trade. In some bilateral trade flows the border barrier has almost disappeared, whereas in other cases it is still equivalent to a 75 per cent tariff. The results also show that some countries have low border barriers in most of their bilateral trade flows with other EU members, whereas other countries persistently present large border barriers.

This paper estimates the tariff equivalent of the border barrier in each bilateral trade among European Union countries. The results show that there are large differences in the border barrier across European Union countries' bilateral trade. In some bilateral trade flows the border barrier has almost disappeared, whereas in other cases it is still equivalent to a 75 per cent tariff. The results also show that some countries have low border barriers in most of their bilateral trade flows with other EU members, whereas other countries persistently present large border barriers.

Desde Adam Smith, los economistas han reconocido la importancia de la protección de los derechos de propiedad, el cumplimiento de los contratos, la estabilidad política y la ausencia de corrupción para que una economía pueda prosperar. Sin embargo, no es hasta fechas muy recientes cuando los investigadores han tratado de estimar en qué medida las instituciones explican las diferencias de renta per cápita entre países. El artículo presenta los avances que han sido necesarios para poder realizar dichas estimaciones y repasa las conclusiones de los estudios empíricos sobre la relación entre la calidad institucional y la renta per capita.__________________________________________________________________________Since Adam Smith, economists have stressed the role of the protection of property rights, the enforcement of contracts, political stability and the lack of corruption in economic growth. Nevertheless, until recently, scholars were not able to estimate to what extent institutions could explain the differences in per capita income among countries. This article presents the breakthroughs needed to allow these estimations, and it surveys the conclusions of the empirical studies that have analysed the contribution of institutional quality on economic growth.

ABSTRACTThis paper uses highly disaggregated data to analyze the convergence process in product‐level relative productivity across Spanish provinces. Over the period 1988‐2013 there is a 53 per cent reduction in product‐level relative productivity differences across provinces. The speed of convergence in product‐level productivity is faster than in income per capita. Provinces that are geographically close, have strong ties and share similar factor endowments become more similar in product‐level relative productivities.

AbstractThis paper analyzes whether complexity, measured by the number of skilled tasks that are performed in production, explains countries' commodity trade structure. We modify the Romalis model to incorporate advantage differences in complexity across commodities together with differences in the number of mistakes made by workers in the production process in developed and developing countries as a source of comparative advantage. Our model predicts that the share of developed countries in world trade increases with products' complexity. Empirical tests confirm this prediction. Moreover, we find that complexity complements the explanation provided by skill‐intensity on countries' commodity trade structure.

"Die spanischen Importe von China haben sich im Zeitraum von 1999 bis 2007 versechsfacht und dieses asiatische Land zum viertgrößten Lieferanten für die spanische Wirtschaft gemacht. In diesem Beitrag untersuchen wir, ob sich diese massive Zunahme der Importe aufgrund der Unterschiede bei der anfänglichen Spezialisierung der Produktion unterschiedlich stark auf die Arbeitsmärkte der einzelnen spanischen Provinzen ausgewirkt hat. Aus den Ergebnissen geht hervor, dass spanische Provinzen mit einem höheren Anteil chinesischer Importe einen stärkeren Rückgang des Beschäftigungsniveaus im produzierenden Sektor als Anteil an der Bevölkerung im arbeitsfähigen Alter verzeichneten. Allerdings wurde dieser Rückgang durch eine Erhöhung des Beschäftigungsniveaus im nicht-produzierenden Sektor ausgeglichen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)