Recent findings on trade and inequality

Ann Harrison, John McLaren and Margaret McMillan

No 1047, IFPRI discussion papers from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Abstract: The 1990's dealt a blow to traditional Heckscher-Ohlin analysis of the relationship between trade and income inequality, as it became clear that rising inequality in low- income countries and other features of the data were inconsistent with that model. As a result, economists moved away from trade as a plausible explanation for rising income inequality. In recent years, however, a number of new mechanisms have been explored through which trade can affect (and usually increase) income inequality. These include within-industry effects due to heterogeneous firms; effects of offshoring of tasks; effects on incomplete contracting; and effects of labor-market frictions. A number of these mechanisms have received substantial empirical support.

Keywords: trade inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (36)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Recent Findings on Trade and Inequality (2010)
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