International Transmission of Inequality through Trade

Sergey Nigai

American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2025, vol. 17, issue 3, 311-44

Abstract: I examine the international transmission of income inequality through trade. Using firm-level and aggregate data, I find that exporting to more unequal countries increases domestic inequality. I rationalize this finding by developing a model of international consumer targeting in which firms serve specific consumer segments in each market. Inequality in export markets shapes the distribution of firms' profits and, therefore, the incomes of individuals linked to them, widening domestic inequality. The calibrated model suggests that international inequality transmission explains 4.4 percent and 4.8 percent of the observed levels of Gini coefficients and income shares of the top 1 percent, respectively.

JEL-codes: D22 D31 D63 F14 F63 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1257/pol.20230497

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